Zach POV of the DC Mission
by MickyKat
Summary: The title explains it all. Zach's POV of the events surrounding the D.C Mission
1. At Blackthorne

**Hello! This is my first fanfic, and I am fixing some spelling errors on this Chap, but nothing major. This story takes place in Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy.**

**Enjoy!**

**Zach POV**

Grant, Jonas and I were sitting in the common room, being completely and utterly bored.

"What should we do now?" asked Grant, his eyes half closed. "Raid a freshmen's room?"

Jonas- as always, on his laptop- barely heard Grant. "You guys could help me with the Chemistry extra-credit! This really needs three people… not that I couldn't do it myself, but if you guys are bored…"

Grant rolled his eyes "That is right at the top of my 'What I Do NOT Plan To Do Before I Die' list."

I started to get up. "Lets find Dr. Steve, maybe can find something more exciting than thermodynamics."

The other two jumped up at that, and we exited the room to find our most "excelelent" teacher. We found him in the kitchens, talking to our AMAZING chef, and eating through a pile of macaroons.

"What's up boys?"

"Not much, but we were wondering if anything important was coming up." Grant said, as he slid towards a stray macaroon. Dr. Steve batted his hand away.

"Nope, these are mine!" he chuckled. "But, we will be having an excellent Covert Ops assignment tomorrow. I hope your skills are sharp Zach, because these young…" He ate another cookie, and we missed the next few words.

"What was that?" asked Jonas, completely confused, though if it was covert ops, he didn't have to worry. He was in the Research track. Grant hit him on the head to shut him up as Dr. Steve kept talking.

"… are some of the best in the field." And with that, he shut up. Quick. "Oh dear… forget I ever said anything! There is a Co. Ops trip, that's all you need to know!" his face was very nervous as he shuffled us out of the kitchen. As the door slammed behind us, we looked at each other.

Grant was stunned. "The best in the field?" he echoed.

Jonas was thinking hard. "Young… young what? Does that mean they are spies like us? But that can't be because…" Jonas was rambling, spitting out some random stuff, like he always did when he was nervous. But when Jonas rambled he talked about everything from impassable firewalls to the amount of calories in organic pudding.

I looked at both of them, nerves eating my insides. _I'm the best here. What if they beat us? How is that gonna look? I'm a legend, the orphaned kid of the famous Goodes!_

"I don't know, but we need to find out. Now." And with that, we set off to find out all we could about agents who specialized in covert Ops who were under the age of 25.

"I think I got something promising!" yelled Jonas from across the room.

Grant dropped his book _History of Espionage Prodigies_, and ran over. We had set up in a little room right off the library that I liked to study in. it was now covered from wall to wall with books on modern day spying.

We had found stuff on younger spies, but it was all dated 80 yrs ago. Jonas has almost gotten past one of the CIA's firewalls covering modern covert ops teams, but got shot down quickly.

I was looking at the ceiling, feeling very useless, but hey, it was 3 o'clock in the morning! Give me a break, I can't be a fabulous super spy 24/7! We had found nothing. Nada. I felt like I had failed.

Tomorrow I would be going against some mysterious and extremely good spies. Maybe I was sick. Goodes don't worry. They go out, beat the bad guy and get the girl. All that stuff. Oh well… back to Jonas…

"I got a pic! Look at this!" he pointed to an image that was blown up on screen. It was a girl- pretty normal looking, with dirty blond hair (more brown to me), deep brown eyes, and looking about 10. She was getting out of a cab, and obviously didn't see the picture being taken. There was a tiny caption. "Young CIA Legacy". It was dated 4 or 5 yrs ago.

Grant did a double take. "Her? She looks harmless! And anyway Zach, you've done better than that! Remember that time in Michigan…" and he started on a story including Lake Superior, a parachute, two terrorists, and a pair of very smelly socks.

I wasn't listening. I had been taught to never underestimate an opponent. But seriously, we didn't even know whether this girl was our mission.

She was one out of hundreds who we might be facing tomorrow. I have been taught by the best. I AM the best. And so we went to bed, not really worrying anymore. We had nothing to worry about, right?

**So, did you like it? This has been in my personal documents for 4 months, and I finally posted it. The next chapters are coming quickly! **

**Ciao!**

**MickyKat**


	2. Arriving in DC

**Ok hey people, sup? I'm trying to finish this story in a week, cuz I am going to a 2 week camp in West Virginia, and due to no electricity, shall not be able to update =( oh yea, and I fixed up the last chapter a bit, but nothing major. **

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

-**That morning-**

We trumped up groggily to the great hall. Our school was very old fashioned with a huge lawn, big gates, and many secrets.

I know a lot of things that I shouldn't, but I loved looking at people like I knew something that they didn't. Apparently everyone hates it.

As we ate our toast, a note was dropped off at our table

_Junior Covert Ops Class - meet out on the front lawn in 20 mins. Wear casual clothing. _

_Dr. Steve_

Grant sighed. "See you, Jonas. Have fun with your thermodynamics!"

Jonas smiled and practically skipped to his first class, ignoring the sarcasm. No mere words could express his pure relief of not having to go with us. We were the ones who would be out disabling bombs; Jonas would be the one saving the world from behind a computer.

When we walked out onto the lawn 17 minutes and 46 seconds later, we found helicopter waiting for us.

As we got in, we were handed blindfolds by our cover ops teacher, Mr. Kronski. **(A/N Yea, I just made that up)**

"Sorry gentlemen, this isn't a sightseeing tour, so make your selves comfortable."

Grant eyed the blindfold being held out to him. "Hmm… I think not. I don't need one. I get plane sick… then I puke all over the rest of you, and you guys wouldn't want that right? I'm special and DON'T NEED A BLINDFORD."

I smirked. Grant suddenly realized that 11 very dangerous spies were about to FORCE that blindfold on him. He seemed to shrink under Mr. Kronski's glare.

This was really a sight to see, as Grant _is_ a 6 ft muscled guy who could probably knock you out in .5 seconds, but quails under the eyes of a 5"2 man with a beard, but could knock you out faster than that with his pinky finger. Grant took the blindfold.

In 2 hours and 27 minutes we were landing, and we immediately got into a van with the words _Blackthorne School for Boys_ on the side. The van was decked out in spy gear that I was just itching to try out, and screens lined the walls showing images from several security cameras.

We waited there for 5 minutes until a screen showing a fountain changed to a street with another black van pulling up the curb.

"Ok now get out and I will instruct you on your mission. Get in pairs of two, and spread out, but keep your eyes on that black van that black van. Go!"

Grant and I tumbled out and squinted at the bright sun. It was cold, and we could see a long water-pond thing off to the distance. It was the Reflecting Pool, which meant that…

"We're in D.C! Awesome!" said Alex, one of my classmates, who had just gotten out. He was grinning, and everyone else was enjoying the change of climate. Hey, it was cold, but this is nothing can compared to upstate New York.

Grant was checking out a group of chicks who were giggling and shooting looks us. I hit him on the back of the head, getting a "What the heck was that for?", but I caught everyone's attention. I looked at the van pointedly, as the door was slowly opening.

Everyone took off, sitting on a bench, looking at the reflecting pool, getting a soft pretzel, etc.

Grant and I headed to a candy machine. I got a pack of M&Ms, and we went to the bench. We were watching the van, when the door opened, and someone got out. Or _some ones. _12 teenage girls jumped out of the van.

Through the comms unit I heard Mr. Kronski say "_They_ are your mission. Tail them to their meeting place with their teacher. You boys remember Joe Solomon? He's their teacher. These girls are good, so keep it tight. Don't get caught."

I examined to girls. There was a tiny one who looked like she should be on the R&A track, a blonde who was talking to one of her friends, who was looking exasperated. A black haired, brown skinned beauty got out, and I swear I saw Grant drool.

Then I saw the last girl. I froze. She was the only one who wasn't looking around, enjoying the sights, or laughing. She was memorizing, looking at every person within 100 ft.

As her eyes ran over us I kept my face a relaxed and casual mask as I pretended to ask Grant if he wanted to grab something to eat.

Grant wasn't paying attention, still looking at her friend. Subtle much? I hit him on the jaw, earning myself a disgruntled noise from the big oaf who I call my best friend.

I examined her. She was medium height, thin without looking unhealthy, with deep chocolate eyes. Her hair was the same dirty blonde as in the picture, and was wearing the same uniform as the rest, with a tan trench coat with a coat of arms on the sleeve. She was quite pretty, but in an inconspicuous way. If someone didn't point her out to you, you probably wouldn't see her.

Mission, Mission, Mission. I had to beat them. I would have to play to my strengths, like the fact that they probably weren't expecting teenage boys to be spies. Oh yea, and my supreme hotness level would help too.

Through the comms Mr. Kronski was giving out our assignments.

Grant got the one he was drooling over. Alex got the tiny one, and I could tell that he thought that his was too easy. I got the mysterious girl who had exited last. We were given their code names, but their real names were classified. Apparently we would need level 4 clearance if we wanted to know.

There was Duchess, who was Grant's tailee, and mine was called… the Chameleon.

Now that caught my attention. Not many agents get code names that relate to their specialty, but this one was clear. She was a pavement- artist. And probably a good one at that. I smirked. This was going to be fun.

It had been an hour since we had started tailing them, and Duchess and Chameleon were sticking together, so Grant and I were together as well. But they weren't noticing us. There were other people trailing them too… like the woman in the suit, and the guy who was wearing a baseball cap.

They were getting beaten by the girls, frequently loosing them. They were good, but neither noticed the two teenagers who were following them. I had noticed something else though. We could only trail Duchess successfully, and kept loosing the Chameleon. The only way to find her again was that she was always near her friend, and that was hard enough.

They had come to a park and were talking. Grant and I were on a bench watching them, trying to look like we were just checking them out, while we were actually checking them out _and_ spying on them.

Duchess and the Chameleon were talking, and thanks to our wonderful lip reading classes, we could tell what they were saying.

"Look at the bright side, Cam." Said Duchess to her friend. Cam? That must be the Chameleon's name. Or was it a nickname? I'd have to find out.

Duchess looked like a normal girl who was cutting school, not the dangerous spy she probably was. She twirled laughing, while Cam watched, smiling at her friend.

"We could be in Ancient languages right now," she said, still twirling. She stopped. "We could be locked in the basement with Dr. Fibs."

They both laughed, and I'm guessing that their teacher was either dangerous, or very accident prone. The way they were laughing, I guessed that he was the latter.

"And here the view is infinitely better" she continued, looking around. I knew that she wasn't talking about the monuments. She was talking about us. Cam looked exasperated. I smirked, as I pretended to check them out with Grant, hiding the fact that we had been looking at them for the last hour and a half.

"Oooh… I want one." Said Duchess, throwing an arm around Cam. I could see Grant smile as he looked at Duchess. I was looking at Cam's reaction, because we had been pointed out, and if she knew we were the tails then we were screwed.

"They're not puppies." I sighed with relief, and a bit of hurt. She didn't think we were hot or anything? Not even cute? That's a first…

"Come on Cammie, they're really cute!" Cammie… short for Cameron… why does that ring a bell?

"Bex, we have a mission." Bex? Weird name. I knew that there was a spy couple in MI6 that had a daughter who went by that name, but they lived in England… I dismissed the idea to another part of my brain for after the mission.

"Yeah, but we can multitask." Said Bex, as she tried to pull Cammie towards our bench, but she wasn't budging.

"No, Bex! Talking to civilian boys during a Covert Ops exercise is a bad idea. Trust me." Cam said, forcing a smile. "It's all fun and games until someone gets their memory erased." What? Who said anything about erasing memories? Who is this chick?

Bex stopped and turned to Cammie with an odd look on her face. "Wow… you're really…" Bex paused, seeming almost… afraid of Cammie's reaction? Why?

"What?" Asked Cammie, "I'm really what?" Cammie honestly looked like she had no idea of what Bex was going to say, her eyes wide and questioning. Very cute… Nope, I'm _not _going to think about that.

Bex avoided her gaze for a split second, then continued, "Not over Josh." They both paused, as if Bex had uttered a horrible taboo, and they might explode at any second. Hmm… well I guess "Josh" was her boyfriend? This is another thing I should look up when we get back.

Cammie shrugged and they started to walk away, towards the streets again. "Of course I'm over him." At this distance I couldn't tell whether she was lying or not. "I broke up with him. Remember? It wasn't that big of a deal." That was interesting… but irrelevant to my mission.

I wondered if they saw the lady with a cell phone in a beige suit, who had pushing a baby stroller about 50 minutes ago. I stopped listening for a second so I could look at my watch, though I really didn't need it. It was tricked out with wireless, a camera, a clock, a reppel-a-cord, tracker, and 50 of my favorite ipod songs.

When I tuned back into their conversation, all I caught was "Bex."

"I see her."

Good, now they weren't on the subject of boys, and we could resume our mission.

**Wow… I spent forever just on SPELL CHECK! I may need to work on keyboarding… any way, if you want to, review! If you don't, I am going to keep updating anyway!**

**Ciao!**


	3. The Mission

**Wow, I can't believe I got reviews! Thanks you guys! I'm glad that people like it.**

**Enjoy!**

The girls were pulling out all the stops, and the distracter tails were dropping like flies. They had hit the museums, and were using every counter surveillance move in the book, and a few that weren't. I must say, Grant and I were impressed.

We were able to take our time, and followed them at a distance. Well, we followed Bex. Following Cammie soon became impossible, but we trusted that she would stay with her friend.

The girls were tiring out, after 4 hours of losing almost 8 fake tails, walking around 4 museums, and not stopping once for food or water.

Meanwhile, Grant and I had been trailing them at a slow walk, relaxed and eating the whole way. Grant had 5 soft-pretzels, and I had stopped at a candy machine for M&Ms, half of which was still in my pocket.

The girls walked along the Washington Monument, with only one fake tail left. Their faces were anxious. They must be running out of time, and would be meeting Solomon soon.

I passed this information on to the rest of the boys, and turned back to the girls. They were taking a minute to search for more tails, under the guise of getting a map from a kiosk.

Grant and I relaxed under a tree, and listened to the rest of the guys for a second, as they started to take out the girls one by one. Soon there was only Bex, Cammie, and the tiny girl that Alex was tailing.

I heard crackling over the comms as Alex reported that he was about to compromise the girl… and then silence. You could hear slight thuds in the background. What the heck? What was Alex doing? Beating her up?

Then a slam echoed through the unit, and Alex continued, in a pained voice "Ok… I have been made… sorry guys, she jumped me and shoved me into a janitor's closet. Mr. Kronski, can you come by and get me? It's locked from the outside."

I could almost hear Mr. Kronski sigh. This was so _Alex_. Locked in a closet by a 5" girl? Pathetic! Alex is in for it from Mr. Kronski when we get back.

I turned my attention back to the girls, who were cutting across the mall, with a man racing to keep up with them. He was being so obvious; I was surprised that the girls hadn't realized that he probably wasn't their only tail.

I could see Cammie talking, so I tuned in.

"Forty-seven minutes."

Bex didn't even acknowledge her words, like she already knew. Which she probably did.

Bex checked on the man behind them, and scanned the area, stopping on a group of girls with similar clothes. The group was going down to the metro station, and the girls dove into the midst of them, chatting excitedly like any other civilian teenage girl.

They weren't though. I smirked. They couldn't fool me.

But my best friend? He was looking completely and utterly lost. "Hey, dude? Zach? I lost them." However did he get through last semester's final?

Honestly… I headed off down the escalator, leaving Grant by the tree. A second later he was back beside me, and was looking at the group searching for Duchess.

A few girls were looking back and giggling, and whispering to one another. Time to bring out my inner Grant. I put on a mysterious smirk, and pretended to check them out from afar.

From the squeals coming from the group, it had worked, and now we had their full attention. Bad news: we had been pointed out to Cam and Bex, who were turning around to look at us. I tried to keep breathing. Our mission could end right here, right now.

I saw recognition in their eyes, but their eyes passed us by to look at the man in a Navy suit that was following them from behind. We were safe from discovery. For now.

We reached the metro station to find the train already there, and about to leave. "Let's run and get it!" screamed one girl, and the group charged towards the train doors, the Navy suit guy following quickly.

Grant and I were the only ones who noticed the two figures who slipped away, hiding in the shadows of the dark station. I smirked.

_Got you_.

**Ok, so I think you guys know that Cam and Zach are going to meet in the next Chapter. I hope someone wants to read that, cuz I am posting it tomorrow or late tonight. **

**Ciao!**


	4. The Elevator Ride

**Okay, this chapter is a bit long, and I tried to stop writing, I really did, but there wasn't any good place to cut off. I was rereading this one when I realized that I should probably put a disclaimer in, so…**

**Disclaimer- I am not Ally Carter. **

**Enjoy!**

Grant and I waited near a staircase, watching the girls as they slipped back into the crowd. The girls had a slight spring in their steps now, and were looking less anxious. They probably thought that they were clear of tails right?

I felt the need to smirk. They were dead wrong.

The girls waited at the Metro line map, and conferred for a second. Grant tried to listen in, but they were to far away, and had their backs to us.

I wish they would hurry up; my feet are starting to KILL me. I'll ask Jonas if he has any of the blister cream he made in 8th grade. It makes me sound like a wuss, but hey, it works!

Bex moved away from the map, so Grant and I resumed our tailing. We had to be more careful now, because al the fake tails were gone. It was just us and the girls. Oh yeah, and the 239 civilians who crowded the underground tunnel. We didn't have to worry about Cammie, she would be near Bex.

I searched the crowd, looking for a sign of the Chameleon. After the 4 seconds it took to surmise that she _wasn't there_, a movement near the elevators caught my eyes. The Chameleon was on the move.

I quickly made my way through the crowd, reaching the elevators the same time as her. I suddenly remembered one of Mr. Kronski's lectures on how spies hide in plain sight. This would be tricky, but if I could pull it off…? It would definitely prove my point to these girls. I am the _best_ there is. Though I must admit, Cammie came in close second.

Cammie reached for the "Up" button for the elevator, but my hand beat her to it. Her eyes traveled up my arm to my face. She recognized me. Well, too late to back out now.

"Hey." I said, doing the half-way nod that civilian boys used, sticking to my cover.

"Hi."

Cammie repeatedly pushed the "Up" button, as if that would help the elevator get here quicker. She didn't even check me out! This would be hard. What I wanted to do was make her late for her meeting, which as in about 20 minutes. If she was late, I would win. Making her late would be so much easier if she would look at me for more than 5 seconds!

The elevator door opened, and she ran into it like she was escaping an axe murderer. I followed, leaning against the railing in the small elevator. She frowned when she saw that I had followed, and I must say, it looked very cute.

She glanced at my blurry reflection on the doors, and her eyes widened for a second before returning to look anywhere _but_ at me.

"So… The Guggenheim Academy-" I said, pointing at the crest on her trench coat, sounding like any teenage guy who didn't really care what her coat said, but was making small talk.

"It's Gallagher Academy." Yeah, like I didn't already know that.

"I've never heard of it."

"Well, it's my school" I smiled to myself. She was telling the truth, it was actually her schools name. That was mistake number _one_ for Cammie.

Gallagher Academy… I would have to do a search on that when we got back.

So she was a Gallagher… Girl…. Hey, that's a pretty annoying nickname. Gallagher Girl. I'll save that one for the end of the mission for her to remember me by.

Now all I needed was to know where she was going. Hey, she doesn't even _suspect_ me. I might as well ask.

"You in a hurry or something?" This could be very loosely translated into 'where are you going?' but much more subtle. I could just be another guy. Yeah, right.

Under my mask I was smirking, but she couldn't see that or she might think I am too cocky, and just leave me in the dust.

"Actually, I am supposed to meet my teacher at the ruby slipper exhibit." Wow… I am Goode.

"I've only got 20 minutes, and if I'm late, he'll kill me." That may not be an exaggeration, knowing Solomon. She said 20 minutes right?

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because he said 'Meet me at the ruby slipper exhibit.'"

I shook my head, forming my smirk into a smile before she could see it. "No. How do you know you only have 20 minutes? You're not wearing a watch."

Why did she look surprised? She looked at me, but looked away as if banishing a thought as she said that her friend had just told her. I wasn't sure if she was lying or not, because she _had _been talking with her friend a minute ago before they split. I changed the subject.

"You fidget a lot." She did. She looked like she couldn't stay still, but was that because this elevator ride was taking _forever_, or was I… making her nervous? If so, then it was good. It would make my job a lot easier.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I have low blood sugar. I need to eat something." She probably didn't have low blood sugar, but I knew that she was hungry. Who walks around the Mall for 4 hours and doesn't get peckish? I reached into my jeans for the bag of M&Ms, which I offered to Cammie.

"Here. I ate most of them already."

"Oh…um…that's okay. Thanks, though." I guess she knew not to take candy from strangers. Good thing too… girls shouldn't be alone at night in the city.

"Oh… Okay" I put the candy back in my pocket.

Hey… I could play the overprotective guy- who feels that it's his duty to see her to her destination. That could work, and Solomon would be all the more impressed. I looked over at her, pondering the situation. I was feeling a bit… bad? It didn't feel right to deceive Cammie so much… Nope, I'm going to stop that train of thought right now. I will do this all the way. It's my mission, and it doesn't matter who takes the fall. That is what I have been taught. Right?

The metal doors dinged open, and Cammie darted out into the night, calling over her shoulder "Thanks for the candy!"

Wow, it had gotten REALLY dark in the last 10 minutes. I could barely see the Chameleon. But then again, I couldn't really see her in broad daylight either.

She was quickly walking away, taking an indirect route to the museum. I followed her, but I made it obvious, with my feet hitting the ground hard, and I made my breathing more noticeable. Being the good spy she is, Cammie was aware of my presence.

After 4 steps she whipped around her eyes bright, and angry. I had _really_ pissed her off; I didn't need to be a spy to know that.

"_Where are you going?_" sheasked, trying to control her annoyance. It didn't really work.

"I thought we were going to meet your teacher in the wonderful world of Oz." A wee bit cocky…

"We?"

"Sure, I'm going with you."

"No, you're _not_."

I didn't hear an accusing tone to her voice, so I turned my confident face on as I explained. "Look, its dark. You're by yourself. And this is D.C."

I could swear I just saw her roll her eyes.

"And, you've only got" -I wondered how exact I could be without her getting suspicious- "fifteen minutes to meet your teacher."

"Fine." She walked faster, and I had to jog to keep up.

"You can really walk fast" She ignored me.

I tried again. "So, do you have a name?"

"Sure, lots of them." I smiled. It was the most truthful thing she had said in the last hour and a half.

I looked at her as if she had just said the cutest, funniest, flirtiest thing ever. I didn't want to do this; it would only end up with her feeling hurt. But I didn't care. I shouldn't care. I won't let myself care what happens to her. She was just another girl, another mission.

"So do you have a boyfriend?" Cam looked confused for a second, unsure whether or not I was flirting with her, but then she smoothed her expression as we reached the lights near the Museum of American History- our destination.

"Thanks for the chivalry and all, but it really isn't necessary." She glanced at her backpack, her fingers inching towards the strap. "It's just up here."

I suddenly remembered last week's P&E assignment on how to kill a man using school supplies. I started to back away when I realized that a civilian wouldn't know that there were 7 ways she could kill me with that backpack.

"And there's a cop right there." Yeah, I know. So what?

"What?" I glanced at the cop, "you think he could do a better job protecting you than me?"

She looked at me weirdly. "No, I think that if you don't leave me alone, I can scream and that cop will _arrest_ you." Wow, I did NOT expect that. I could tell that she was joking, but I had better tail her covertly from this point on.

I smiled and stepped back. Cammie let a smile slip through her mask. The small smile I had received sent a small electric shock through my body. I felt… content. It was weird, and I shook myself. I would figure out that little mystery when there wasn't so much on my mind.

As I turned to leave, she called back to me. "Hey, thanks anyway." I nodded back at her, showing that I understood. I slipped into the shadows.

I wiped every thought from my mind. From this point on, everything was instinctual. There was little traffic, and her time was running out. This wasn't just a mission. This was war.

Cammie wasn't holding back her skills at all, and neither was I.

She slipped into the doors, making no sound. She grabbed a brochure from the help desk she passed, paused, and slipped behind the help desk. I slipped in a small side door without setting off the alarm.

These were the employee hallway, and would get you places faster than if you walked around a door opened silently up ahead, and a quick figure darted through, and raced up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. I dashed up the first flight, making no sound, till I reached a door with the number 2 above it. I got through the door, and ran to the escalator. This one went up 2 flights, to the ruby slipper exhibit, and the end of my mission.

It took my 3 seconds to hotwire the escalator to go 8mph, and ran up it, reaching the top in no time.

I saw a shadowed figure scurrying past the Julia Child's Kitchen exhibit, and followed, mixing in with a bunch of tourists. She looked in the reflection of the observatory glass, but I was gone, already in the ruby slipper exhibit.

Cam rushed in, stopping in front of the glittering shoes. A movement in the shadows caught my attention. It was Joe Solomon, probably the best spy I have ever met.

"You're four seconds late."

She spun around to face him. "But I'm alone."

"No, Ms. Morgan, you're not."

It was time for my dramatic entrance. I stepped from the safety of the shadows, looking at Cammie, who had frozen. I smiled at her, enjoying my victory.

"Hi again, Gallagher Girl."

**So, what do you think? If you want to, review. But even if you don't review, I will try to update sometime tonight or tomorrow. **

**Ciao!**


	5. Blackthorne Boy

**Hello everyone! I am extremely sorry for how late this is. I went to camp for 2 weeks, then just sat around on my bum for a week and a half, but I eventually did get to writing this chapter. Its short because the part I am writing is short, so I need some input. Where do you guys want me to go with this? Should I quit while I'm ahead? Or do you want me to write a bit more? Please review and give me your ideas. **

**Enjoy! **

"_Hi again, Gallagher Girl."_

Cammie's eyes went wide, looking at me like she couldn't believe that it was me. Like there was some mistake. I could see that she had realized that we exist. And that I had just beaten her.

"Nice work, Zack." Said Mr. Solomon, who was watching Cammie's reaction to the situation. If this was graded, she was failing. I winked at her, hoping for her to break down and cry, or something girly like that.

But I didn't expect her to clear her face of all emotion, and reply "Hi, Blackthorne Boy."

My jaw dropped. No way. There is no way she can know my school! My school's cover has been compromised by a teenage girl! This is bad, very, very bad. I probably look like a buffoon, and definitely not like a spy. If Mr. Kronski found out that I had been caught unawares during a mission, I was dead.

I looked to Mr. Solomon, a Blackthorne Alumni himself; waiting for him to deny the information, knock her out, SOMETHING! He blinked n surprise.

"Very good, Ms. Morgan." He looked back at me, reassuring me that everything was under control. "But not good enough."

I can't believe I was so stupid. I had completely underestimated her abilities even after I had seen what she could do. Why did I think she was some naive teenage girl, who would just take defeat? I forgot that she was a spy. I had thought she was just another girl, and it could've compromised me.

She turned to me. "So your mission was… what? To keep us from achieving our mission?"

Huh? That was confusing. I cocked my head and raised my eyebrows. "Something like that."I guess that it's okay to tell her our mission, since it's over. I looked at Mr. Solomon. He delicately raised his eyebrows, asking whether or not I was going to answer.

I smirked and gave a half-laugh, and continued. "I thought that I could just make you late for your meeting. I didn't think you'd actually tell me where it was and walk me halfway there."

I felt bad for humiliating her in front of Solomon, but I could tell from Mr. Solomon's expression that I had just passed some type of test. My relief vanished when I saw Cammie's face. She looked physically sick, and looked ready to beat herself up. _Why?_ It wasn't like the mission was for real, she had just… lost.

She looked up at me, and for a split second, I could see the answer in her eyes. It was because I was a guy, and for some reason that made it worse. I _needed_ to look up this girl's history when I got back to school.

Before I could say goodbye, a group of tourists came up to the exhibit, jostling Cammie. I saw Grant beckon for me to follow, and I did, surrounded by flashing cameras and backpacks. I looked back to Cammie, and saw her being guided out by Mr. Solomon, his arm around her shoulders like a protective father.

I saw her glance back, trying to find me with her eyes. But I was gone.


	6. Back To School

**Alright guys, I just realized how short that last chapter was. Wow. Sorry to put you guys through that! Well here we are the next chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

Grant and I met up with the rest of the group at the Washington Monument, where the helicopter was waiting. We got on, and I immediately plopped down next to Grant, closing my eyes in relief. I just felt _tired_. The seats in the helicopter were hard and unforgiving, but hey, they were solid.

I cracked an eye open as we took off, watching my classmates. Mr. Kronski was looking rather calm, watching the security tapes of our mission. We would probably go over them tomorrow. I was too tired to give that much thought, but something was tugging at the back of my mind. I pushed it away. Time to dwell on whatever it was later.

I turned my attention to the other guys, who all were boasting about how they beaten the Gallagher Girls, and were comparing stories. They were trying to decide who had been the best in the mission today. They had more energy than grant and I, most of them had only been running around for an hour, two hours tops. Grant and I were spent. Four hours of tailing really took the mickey out of you.

Alex was the only one not talking or messing around with the parachute-packs. He sat in a chair, and was holding an icepack to his head. I noticed that he was seated as far from Mr. Kronski as possible, with Grant blocking Mr. Kronski's view of him. I shot Alex a sympathetic look. We all knew that he would get enough verbal abuse from our Covert Ops teacher to make even Dr. Steve cower in fear.

Jason and Mason were half soaking from helping one of the girls get out of the reflecting pool after she had fallen in. They were oblivious of how wet they were as they talked about how badly they had scared her, which had resulted in a very wet- and mad- spygirl. One boy was talking of how he chased these girls who were wearing janitor uniforms! I smirked at that one. Why would there be _teenagers_ on the janitorial staff, let alone girls? It was a very risky cover, and had cost them the mission apparently. Grant was blissfully reliving how he tailed Bex, and I noticed that he was slightly drooling. Typical Grant.

And so that was how we traveled back to Blackthorne, relieving every detail of our mission. Only when we could see the snow crested mountains that hid our school did the guys realize that I hadn't said a word the whole time.

"So what happened to you?" Asked Grant, and the whole class turned to hear what I had to say. Alex shifted to face me, removing the ice from his head.

"Yea man, how did it go with the _Chameleon_?" Alex wiggled his eyebrows for effect. "How hot was she?"

I shot him a cold look, and everyone quieted down "I won. She was good, but I won." And with that I turned to the window as the helicopter made it's descent to the rooftop.

I could feel Mr. Kronski's eyes on me. I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows, everyone looking back and forth between us. Mr. Kronski shut his laptop with a snap. "Is that all that happened, Zach?" We landed on the snow covered roof. "The girl was more than just good. Remember _that_, Zach." And with that he exited out, into the cold snowy night.

The rest of the class followed him, shooting curious looks at me. I couldn't move. She knew about us. _She knew about us._ How could I have let that happen? I shouldn't have trusted that she wouldn't do anything with the information. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

I stayed in my chair until it was only Grant and I. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, man. Let's go." He helped me out of the chair, my back screaming protests, and walked me to the door.

Then we walked out, putting ourselves at mercy to the biting wind.

**Back in the Dorms**

I stepped out of the bathroom, already in my PJs to see Grant and Jonas sitting on their beds watching me. I lay down in my bed checking the clock as I settled back in the cushions. Wow. I wasn't off at all, they really did wait up until 1:43 just to hear my about my mission. Crap.

I turned on my side facing the wall. "I will tell you guys in the morning. I just need to… think." They must had nodded or something, because their lights went out, and in a few minutes I could hear Grant's snoring.

But no matter how much my body ached and pleaded that I needed to go to sleep, I couldn't. That girl, _Cammie_, had just about ruined my life. I was going to get grief for how I went about tailing her, because me trying to flirt with a girl is really laughable. I have never known a normal girl.

But then everyone would immediately hate me as soon as they heard how the mission had ended. That I had just _let_ her get away with knowing all about our school. I hadn't even denied it. But when she said "Hi, Blackthorne Boy.", I had only one thought in mind.

_Damn, this girl is good._

**In The Morning, Breakfast**

I groggily sat at the long table in the Dinning Hall, next to Grant and Jonas, who were comparing P&E homework. I think it was something on Tribal martial arts in Peru… or Taiwan? No, it was definitely Peru. Good thing I already did it, or I would be dead.

I looked up to the high table to see Mr. Kronski glaring at me. I helped myself to cornflakes. Oh well, maybe I was dead anyway.

"Zach… Zach… ZACH!"

I startled, sending a spoonful of cornflakes at Grant's face. He ducked just in time. "WHAT!" I asked glaring at Jonas, who was unaffected by my cruddy mood, looking positively cheerful. And oh, how I hated him for that.

"Are you going to tell us what happened? Grant says that you didn't tell him anything last night on the ride back to school." Said Jonas, watching me carefully to see if I was going to send my entire bowl of cereal at him. I was seriously considering it.

"Guys, I'll tell you during free period, right before Covert Ops." They nodded in agreement and went back to the task of demolishing their breakfast. I sighed and stared down at my toast. _This is going to be a long day_.

**Okay, how was that? Did you like or no? I have decided to write until the point where the boys walk into the Gallagher Dining hall, and that is when I will decide whether to continue the whole book. If you want to review, please do. If not, well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter at least.**

**Ciao!**

**MickeyKat**


	7. The Day After the Mission

**Okay, I just got back into my normal schedule, so sorry for the wait. Here you go, the next chapter. Enjoy!**

The guys and I were in P&E, enjoying the only hour in our day where beating up your classmates was actually encouraged.

During P&E today we were learning the finer arts of kickboxing. What I love about kickboxing is that you can just lose yourself in the rhythm of the fight. While fighting, your problems were suddenly a lot smaller. Maybe that's why I'm so good at it.

Grant and I were sparring, and the rest of the class was surrounding our mat, watching our fight.

_Left hook…Spinning hook-kick…Elbow to the face… Defensive combo…Triangle-choke… _

Grant tapped out, his face tuning a deep red color.

I let him out, giving him a pat on the back as I returned to the bench, grabbing my water bottle. I closed my eyes, returning to my thoughts. _What am I going to do?_

On one hand, Cammie probably only knew that we went to a school for spies, and it was called Blackthorne. On the other hand, I had no evidence to back that claim, and that was the condemning point. If I didn't get evidence, I was as good as dead. My mission: try _not_ to die.

_Yea,_ I thought. _Good luck with that. _

The doors to the chilly basement opened, and everyone looked up to see Dr. Steve enter the room. He was smiling like there was no tomorrow as he made his way to our P&E instructor, Mr. Soy- who was looking thoroughly unhappy with the disruption of his lecture on how to use an opponent's weaker foot against them.

Dr. Steve reached my teacher and spoke to him in a hushed tone. You could almost see everyone's ears turn towards the two men, straining to hear what was being said. Mr. Soy straitened up, nodding seriously at Dr. Steve.

"Goode! Follow Dr. Steve to his office, pronto."

This _can't_ be good. I shot a glance at Grant, who had Alex in a chokehold, seemingly forgotten. Grant shrugged at me, and glanced down at Alex- whose face was turning blue-, and released him. Alex crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. Grant turned to Dr. Steve.

"Can I come?" He asked.

Dr. Steve contemplated his request, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He sighed, turned towards the door. "Alright Grant, come along if you wish. Jonas? Perhaps you wish to come too?"

Jonas nodded vigorously, jumping up from his place on the bench. P&E was _not_ his forte.

We made our way to Dr. Steve's office, trailing the little man by 10 feet. It was only 11:46 in the morning, so I hadn't gotten around to telling Jonas and Grant what happened yesterday.

I could guess the nature of our little _visit_ to Dr. Steve's office. I steeled myself for what was sure to come. Even my best friends were going to think that I was a complete idiot, and should never have been admitted to Blackthorne Institute for Boys.

We arrived at the huge door that led to Dr. Steve's office. It was funny, just days ago I teased some freshmen about how they didn't like to go to his office because the door was intimidating- something along those lines. Now I see what they meant. The door just looked _menacing_. And slightly scary.

But it's not like I was going to _tell_ anyone that. So I gathered my wits about me, and entered Dr. Steve's office.

The first thing I notice was that it was _extremely_ dark in the small room. The second was that there were no windows. At this point, I was looking around for the manacles and stretching rack. It looked like a torture chamber, just without the implements of torture.

There was a desk, with a large seat behind it. In front were two considerably less-comfy chairs, were Grant and I sat, Jonas leaned on the wall awkwardly, all of us waiting for Dr. Steve to begin.

Dr. Steve sat in his chair, and silently looked at us for a full minute. He seemed to be considering us. Finally, he turned to me and asked the question that I knew was inevitable. "What happened on the mission?"

I held his gaze for a few seconds, then looked down at my feet, unsure what to say. In a couple minutes I had figured out my answer. I looked up and stared Dr. Steve in the eyes, and told him everything. I kept my face in an uncaring look, and kept my tone emotionless. I wasn't giving my opinion of the mission; I was giving him the facts.

Dr. Steve raised his eyebrows when I described the Chameleon's abilities as a pavement artist, but said nothing. When I reached the part at the ruby slipper exhibit, He stopped me with a raised hand.

"Now Zach, tell me what _you_ think happened. I have seen the tapes, but I need to know what was going through your mind." He said, leaning in slightly.

I could see Grant shoot me a look, and Jonas straitened up, both of them watching me intently. This was going to be hard. I would have to lie when lying was needed, but tell the truth for the most part.

I started off with how she didn't know I was there, and how I had said "Hey, Gallagher Girl." Grant raised an eyebrow, but Dr. Steve shot him a look that shut him up.

"She turned to me and said 'Hi, Blackthorne Boy.' and I didn't do anything. I guess I was in shock or something." I dropped my head in regret. "I don't know how or why she knows about us. I am really sorry Dr. Steve." I finished the rest of the story talking to my shoes. When I was done I looked up. Only the knowledge that Joe Solomon hadn't been worried about the incident could save me now.

Dr. Steve leaned back in his chair, looking at me with a pensive look on his face. "Boys, I will be back in a few minutes, please stay here." And with that Dr. Steve left the room.

Grant and Jonas were wide-eyed, looking at me.

"Man, you have a death wish, you know that, right?" I looked back at Grant who was smirking slightly.

"Why?"

"Because you didn't tell me you were hitting on that girl! She was hot, don't get me wrong, but I would never have thought that Zachary Goode would ever go after any girl! This is one for the history books!" I gaped at him. Jonas was nodding, like he agreed with Grant.

"Guys, I just blew Blackthorne's cover, and you guys don't _care_?" I asked, completely dumbfounded.

Grant was grinning now, and Jonas had left his corner to stand next to Grant.

"Of course not! You got away with your life, so it doesn't matter to us. Is that what you were worried about, Zach?" said Jonas looking at me with disbelief. "The chances of you dying when Solomon learned that the girl knew about our school were 97%!"

I smiled at my friends; Jonas's moment of nerdy-ness had reminded me of something. "Okay, so you guys know the girls we were trailing?" They nodded. "Well, I think that we need to find out what and who they are. We can hack their school website, CIA, NSA, the whole nine yards. Got it?" They nodded again, grinning. This is what spies live for- a challenge.

"Okay, well Dr. Steve is coming in here in 47 seconds. Too bad we don't have time to raid his desk..." and with that, I jumped behind his desk, caught the small camera Jonas tossed me, and opened the desk.

What I found surprised me. There were piles of candy everywhere, not a single document in sight. I took pictures anyway, slightly disappointed. When I was done, I shut the desk, and quickly scuttled back to my seat just as the door to the office opened.

In walked Dr. Steve, who was smiling very widely.

"Well, boys, congratulations! Joe Solomon has assured me that there was no harm done and that Ms. Morgan would have found out anyway. Since you three are involved in this situation, I have decided that you three will be the first to know about what the trustees have planned for this semester."

At this point, Dr. Steve smiled widely, and bounced on the balls of his feet. "We are going to do an exchange with Gallagher Academy for Young Women! You have already met their junior Covert Ops class, and we will be traveling there in a week or so!"

Grant, Jonas and I just stared at him, our jaws almost toughing the floor. Us? Training with a _girl's _spy school for a semester? _Why_? I must have spoken my last thought aloud, because Dr. Steve turned to me.

"These girls study under the most vigorous curriculum in the world, _including us_. The Gallagher Headmistress also believes that the girls should meet the young men that they may one day have to go on missions with.

"We believe that the exchange will be educational for both sides. Only fifteen boys will be going to Gallagher Academy, though."

Grant, Jonas and I looked at each other. Would we be going at all? Dr. Steve put an end to our worries. "Don't fret, boys. You three have been chosen to come on the exchange."

Grant whooped with joy, Jonas smiled, and I smirked. Oh, I am going to have fun this semester.

Plus, I'm going to get to see Gallagher Girl again.

**How did you like it? Review, it really does make me happy. =)**

**Ciao,**

**MickyKat**


	8. Research on Chameleon

**Alright, it has been forever since I have updated, I know. School, Soccer, Life... these things get in the way of my writing. Anyway, Enjoy!**

When Grant Jonas and I entered the dining hall, dinner had already started. Blackthorne's dinner selections were always delicious, so meals went by very fast. We slipped in just as Dr. Steve walked across Mr. Kronski's line of vision. Mr. Kronski is in charge of attendance at all school functions, including meals and classes. You do _not_ want to be caught skipping class by him. If caught, you were assigned to night drills for a week.

We hadn't discussed the exchange yet, due to how many rumors flying around about why I was called to the office. Several freshmen were convinced that I had been assigned to a special mission, while most of the seniors think that they took me to the office to torture/threaten me to tell them about what _really_ happened on the mission. The second rumor seemed more realistic.

No one knew what had happened at the end of my mission, as the tapes were destroyed on Dr. Steve's order. He said that the less that the school knew about the Chameleon and her school, the better.

When dinner was over, we joined the sea of students exiting the Dinning Hall, and made our way to our room.

When the door was closed, Grant sighed in relief, flopping down on his bed. Jonas whipped out his computer, a happy smile on his face. I didn't sit down or relax. _Do they not see the bugs?_ I sighed and moved around the room, collecting the several cameras and microphones that our classmates had placed in our room while we were out. When I had found them all, I dumped them on the desk in front of Jonas. Only when they were all deactivated did I relax.

"Alright, so what are we gonna do about the exchange?" asked Jonas, looking back and forth between me and Grant.

"What can we do, and why would we want to do anything?" asked Grant, sitting up on his bed. He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "A whole semester surrounded by deadly spy-chicks? It's _perfect_!"

I sat, lost in thought as Grant continued his speech on how awesome this semester was going to be. There was something that I had forgotten to ask Jonas… what was it? It was during the mission, a question or something… _oh yeah, now I remember._ I turned to Jonas.

"Look up the name Cammie in the CIA database, but it might be a nickname, so check all related names as well. See if you can find her record. Also look up the name last name Baxter." I said, interrupting Grant. He glanced at me, confused.

"Baxter?"

"Your tail, went by Bex? Possibly the daughter of Abe and Grace Baxter, top spies at MI6?" I explained, racking my brain for more information that we could use.

Joe Solomon, he had called her something… _what was it? This is going to drive me crazy! How come I wasn't paying attention? Spies shouldn't forget important details like this!_

"Yes! I got the information on your tail, Zach!" said Jonas, interrupting my thoughts. I rushed over to his chair, Grant on my heels. We huddled around the little laptop, staring at the page that had come up. It was the CIA legacy page, which listed the Greatest spies, and their children, their children's children, etc. The heading of the page said "Morgan".

Jonas rolled down. There was a picture of a man, his wife, and a small girl that took up the whole page. The caption stated "Morgan family. _Matthew Morgan, Rachel Morgan, Cameron Morgan._" Jonas pointed to the little girl.

"Cameron Morgan. She is the daughter of Blackthorne alumni Matthew Morgan. _She _was your tail."

We all knew the significance of this. I closed my eyes, blocking out the thoughts that were threatening to invade my mind. About my mom, and what she had done- nope, not going to think of that.

Jonas clicked onto another page that held Cameron's information. What we found didn't surprise us much.

CAMERON MORGAN

School: Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women

Occupation: spy in training

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Brown

Mother: Rachel Morgan, Headmistress of Gallagher

Father: Matthew Morgan, MIA

Career Choice: CIA

Specialty: Pavement Artist

Grant and Jonas were eyeing me carefully, waiting for my reaction to her history. More specifically, who her father was. I looked up at them, my face hard, showing no emotion. They got the message. They wouldn't mention it.

Jonas turned back to his screen. "I can find more on her, but it'll take me a few days to get more recent history. Whoever is putting up the firewalls around her information is really good." I smirked and patted my geeky friend on the shoulder.

"Thanks man," I really meant it, he had done a ton, just to get that basic info. "But we should probably get some sleep. We can start on it tomorrow."

**Three Days Later**

We were sitting in our little study area during our free period, all three of us trying to hack Gallagher. Well, two of us were.

Grant was sitting on a beanbag chair with his mouth hanging open, snoring loudly. But, you couldn't blame him.

We were all a bit short on sleep, what with the South Pacific Island Languages project, P&E kick-boxing tournament, Covert Ops mission reviews, Advanced Organic Chemistry experiments, _and_ this "project", we were absolutely swamped.

Jonas had gotten past a few firewalls, but they were mostly for stupid stuff, like Career Day. The Gallagher chef was took a vacation to France for a cooking convention last year. Jonas couldn't believe it. Now it was personal. No one, man or computer, could keep out Jonas. And yet… all he had found was dead ends.

I was looking into the CIA. I hadn't found much on Cammie, but plenty of other… _useful_ information.

Grant was still snoring, but I didn't have the energy to get up and wake him up. I half-heartedly lobbed a crumpled up piece of paper at him. He didn't wake up. He was grumbling something in his sleep… which was weird, because normally I'm the one who sleep talks.

"Zzzz… No….I didn't …zzz … don't interrogate me… Zach did it… zzz…" And with that, Grant drifted back into a deep slumber.

Something he had said tugged at my mind. _Interrogation_… Hmmm. I shrugged and started looking for her in the record of interrogations. I highly doubted I would find anything; she seemed like a good girl. _Unlike moi…_

"Cameron Morgan Interrogation" I hit the enter button. Up popped a transcript of an interrogation dated only a couple of weeks ago. I smirked to myself. _ Jackpot._

"Hey guys," I called over to Jonas and Grant. "Guess what I found!"

Jonas yawned, and padded over to my laptop, kicking a sleeping Grant off the beanbag on the way.

Grant woke up with an unmanly yelp, jumping up to see who had disturbed his sleep. I sighed, and beckoned him over to the laptop. "You better of found something; I was having a really good dream."

I smirked at him "Yea, I did. Now get over here, or I won't help you with the Bau Fijian section due tomorrow."

Grant hurried over, grabbing a coke from the mini cooler on the way. We had a stock of over 30 different kinds of caffeinated drinks, and they were the only thinks keeping us from sleeping from now to March.

When we were all huddled around my laptop, I clicked on the debriefing transcript that had come up on the search.

The page was basic dialogue, no explanations or reason for the polygraph machine that was used. The first questions held virtually _no_ information, besides that she was really nervous, because she kept on babbling on about completely random things, like how she wasn't immune to his powers of interrogation.

That part made me chuckle, and feel slightly glad that she hadn't learned how to fool a lie detector yet. It's good to know that she isn't _that_ good.

Then the questions turned more direct.

INTERROGATOR: Did your Covert Operations coursework ever take you to the town of Roseville, VA.?

CAMERON MORGAN: Yes.

INTERROGATOR: Is that when you first noticed The Subject?

CAMERON MORGAN: Yes

INTERROGATOR: And you utilized your training to develop a relationship with The Subject

CAMERON MORGAN: Gee, when you say it like that-

INTERROGATOR: Yes or no, Ms.-

CAMERON MORGAN: Yes!

INTERROGATOR: Did The Subject follow you during your Covert Operations final examination?

CAMERON MORGAN: Yes.

Wow. Just, wow. She got whoever it was so wrapped around her finger that he freaking ruined her final exam. That's dedication for you.

Jonas saw me smiling and looked at me like I was crazy. He just didn't get how breaking rules was funny. He had already finished, and was waiting for Grant and I to finish. I turned back to the transcript.

INTERROGATOR: And was The Subject given memory-modification tea to earase the events of that night?

CAMERON MORGAN: Yes.

INTERROGATOR: Are you currently involved with the subject in any way?

CAMERON MORGAN: No.

INTERROGATOR: And do you intend to reinitiate contact with The Subject despite the strict rules prohibiting the relationship?

CAMERON MORGAN: _no answer_

INTERROGATOR: Ms. Morgan, are you going to reinitiate contact with The Subject

CAMERON MORGAN: No.

Results: Cameron Morgan has passed interrogation. It was confirmed that the civilian known as The Subject has reacted to the memory-modification tea, and remembers nothing.

And there the transcript stopped. Grant and I looked up, to meet Jonas's eyes.

"She broke out of school to see him." Said Jonas, who was looking thoroughly disapproving. "And he completely ruined her final exam. See, _this _is where breaking rules gets you; _interrogated_ by the CIA!"

Grant looked at Jonas like he was slightly insane. "Nooo… this is where going after the wrong guy gets you. She could have picked any guy from Blackthorne, and would have completely avoided this situation."

He took a sip of his coke, and continued. "I wonder if she can set me up with her friend…" at this point Grant started salivating, and I couldn't help smacking him out of his fantasy.

"No Grant, I don't think she would be allowed to date any of _us,_ either. But I'm guessing that this is the reason for the exchange, I mean, her _mom_ is the headmistress." I was greeted with two equally confused expressions.

"Come again? Why would this be the reason for the exchange?" asked Jonas, whipping out a pad of paper and a pen.

Grant still had the confused expression on his face, and was looking more and more perplexed by the second.

I decided to put him out of his misery. "She broke the rules because she had never had a boyfriend before, probably. Gallagher is probably very protective of their little darlings; don't want them to be distracted." Grant was looking more understanding, and said "Okay, I get that. But why have the exchange?"

I held up a finger to show that I was getting to that part. "So, this created a problem. Now more girls will think about guys, and will want to date, and now you have a bunch of Gallagher Girls who are trying to get out of the school. Now, to prevent this problem, you bring the boys to _them_ where the teachers can control the situation. Get it? That's us."

Jonas looked up from his notes, a grin on his face. "Awesome." Grant nodded, returning to his fantasy, drool trailing down his cheek. I shook my head at him, not even bothering.

Alright guys. Two more days till we go to Gallagher. We had better get some sleep; otherwise I am really going to suck at the kickboxing tournament tomorrow. Goodnight."

And with that, we all snuck back into our dorm, just slipping past Mr. Kronski, and collapsed on our beds. Finally, we can sleep. I smiled, and let sleep claim me.

**There you go, my 8th chapter. How did you like it? **

**Ciao!  
**


	9. Trip to Gallagher

**Well, it really has been forever since I have written but I injured my knee in a soccer game 3 weeks ago, and have been on crutches since. It was supposed to be better **_**in**_** 3 weeks, but it turns out the strain was worse than we had thought. Another week on crutches, and then 2 more weeks with this awful straight brace for my knee. So I was a bit busy, and unable to write. Sorry guys! Anyway, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Jonas, Grant and I all sat under a tree in the courtyard. Our school was fashioned to look like a detention center, as our cover is a detention center for boys. Although the inside didn't really look like one at all, the grounds were more realistic. The courtyard was definitely my least favorite place. Well, besides the tombs.

We sat in a triangle, waiting out the hour we were required to spend outside every day. Not that we needed the exercise, of course.

Jonas was putting the finishing touches on Blackthorne's new security system, while Grant was wiring a stink bomb that he was planning to use on the group of freshmen who had just walked into the courtyard. The sadistic smile on his face had me worried.

I sat in between the roots of the old oak tree, fixing my old comms unit. It was the first spy gadget I had ever used, and it short circuited a couple days ago when it fell into Mr. Kronski's orange juice. Why we had his orange juice? It's just better not to ask.

All of the projects due had been turned in, and the kickboxing tournament had ended a few hours ago. Needless to say, I kicked butt. Jonas got a concussion though, and Grant broke Ned Stevenson's shin bone.

Today was the day that we were scheduled to go to Gallagher. There was no homework in any class today, not even in Covert Ops, which was a surprise to everyone. The students knew something was going on, and the teachers were deflecting any and all nosy questions about what was going on.

Under our oak tree, we waited for someone to call the students for the exchange. It was already one in the afternoon, so it had to be soon.

"Hey, I think I got it! This is going to be awesome!" said Grant, snapping me out of my thoughts, holding up his finished stink-bomb triumphantly. I smirked and pointed to the freshmen.

"Why don't you try it out?" I asked. Grant grinned and took aim, holding the bomb like a grenade. It was about then that I realized it probably _was _a type of grenade.

As he let it fly, Dr. Steve burst through the doors, already talking into the big bull horn that he is famous for.

"May the following students report to helicopter pad 4 immediately?"

He read out 13 names, the sea of students making way for those whose names were called. "Grant Newman, Jonas Anderson," and with that he broke out coughing, pinching his nose and waving the air in front of him. Several students around him exclaimed as the smell of Grant's stink bomb overcame them as well.

Grant grinned, and said with a shrug "Ah well, I'll get the freshmen later." I shook my head at him, turning back to Dr. Steve, who was in the middle of a coughing fit.

"…And Zachary Goode!" he managed to choke out, before running back through the doors, pushing over a few students is his way. I ignored the eyes on me and stood up, stretching. The crowd parted like the red sea, making a path to the open doors. The student's whispering washing over me as I made my way over to the doorway, where Dr. Steve had reappeared, waiting for me and my friends. I heard a few of the whispers. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore them, but failing miserably.

"Do you think that…?"

"…His own mother!"

"Probably just like her…"

"But I thought..."

My mouth turned sour. It had been years since I had first arrived here, and this was still happening. The _whispers_. About him. His Mother.

He had proved that he was trustworthy and a true Blackthorne Boy time and time again, but all the people who had never thought to actually get to know him still thought that… that he was just like _her_. It was mostly the seniors who never saw him except in the hallways, or the new students who had heard stories about his parents.

The teachers all knew that he could be trusted, as well as his fellow sophomores and most juniors. I guess that that's all that matters, right?

Right.

I steeled my thought, and straitened my back, walking purposefully through the crowd, skimming the faces I passed. I saw Alex looking sad. _Poor guy_ I thought. He hated being left out of things, and here we are, going on a mission without him. I shot him a sad smile, and almost stopped to talk to him, but I felt Grant hit me from behind, reminding me of our destination. In no time I was standing on the helicopter pad, my hair whipping in the wind.

Almost everyone had already boarded the copter, Grant and Jonas climbing in, leaving me alone on the roof. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I jumped, turning to find Mr. Kronski looking at me with his cold eyes. He looked into my eyes for a second, and smiled one of his rare smiles, removing his hand from my shoulder. "You better get on, son. Don't want them to leave without you, do you?" I shook my head, turning back to the copter, which was already a few feet off the ground, and made a run for it. I leapt up, just barely making it, and was pulled in by Jonas and Grant.

I turned back and looked at Mr. Kronski, who still stood on the roof, back rigid and one hand rose in farewell. I nodded at him, waving back awkwardly. He turned and left the pad, leaving me wondering.

_What the hell was that all about?_

_**1hour and 25 minutes later, **_

_**Still in Helicopter.**_

Dr. Steve had said that we were to not speak until he had told us our destination, and had promptly fallen asleep. We proceeded to talk in Morse code, blinking rapidly. Knowing Dr. Steve, he was actually asleep, but we didn't take any chances. So I talked with Jonas for a bit about Grants stink bomb, waiting for Dr. Steve to wake up. Finally he stirred, yawning and nearly falling out of his chair.

He rubbed his eyes, slowly coming to his senses. When he realized that we were all looking at him, he straitened and looked at me quizzically.

"Where are we going…?" I said raising a eyebrow delicately.

"Ahh, yes, excellent." He turned to the rest of the guys. "You are all part of an exchange with the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, which is our destination." He saw the many confused looks, and answered them. "This is a spy school for girls. These are the Gallagher Girls, a legacy of great women spies that have jobs in the CIA, Interpol, MI6, and other intelligence forces around the world. Their curriculum is the best in the world, and their Head Mistress and I believe that this will be an excellent opportunity for both of our schools." Dr. Steve cleared his throat nervously. "Be warned though, these girls are not trained to be wet work artists _in any way_. Please do not divulge our schools secrets, especially that sensitive information on your training. Do you all agree?" We stayed silent.

"Can I get some head nods?" teased Dr. Steve, and the tension in the room lifted, leaving us slightly giddy. We were going to a _girls_ school! Actual girls! And even better, _spy girls_. We wouldn't have to hide who we really were with them. Well, for the most part.

We spent the next 10 mins teasing Grant about his claim that the girls would all fall for him. Grant was red I the face by the end of it. The conservation wandered before being directed at us again.

"So," said an 8th grader "You guys saw some of the Gallagher girls on a mission right? What were they like?" The rest of the guys crowded around us, asking their own questions.

"Were they hot?"

"Did they beat you guys in the mission?"

"_Were they hot_?"

"Did you hit on them?"

"Did they flirt with you?"

"WERE THEY HOT?"

I was going to kill every one of them if they didn't stop asking questions. Seriously, it was making my head hurt.

"YES, they were INSANELY HOT and smart, and we didn't _openly_ hit on them, we were on a MISSION." And with that, I put an end to the discussion. Everyone returned to looking out of the windows, each one wanting to be the first to spot Gallagher.

I sat back and sighed, relieved at the quiet. Grant was smirking, and I was just dying to wipe it off his face. "What is it Grant?" I asked dangerously. Grant ignored the unspoken threat.

"You never told me you thought she was hot." He said smugly.

I put my head in my hands, speaking through my fingers. "What makes you think I was talking about her? Maybe I was talking about Bex."

Grant kept on smiling.

"Oh, you were _definitely_ talking about her."

I shook my head, refusing to take part in this conversation. I didn't care how she looked. I didn't care about her at all. She was just a girl I had met on a mission. Well, her cover had met my cover, but it was close enough. She was someone that I had used to finish my mission. That's what spies do, right?

I smirked and put the Morgan girl from my mind. There were more important things to think of. Like where the heck was this place? We had been on the copter for 2 hours straight! I looked out the window, straining to see through the clouds. Then I gasped as we broke through the cloud cover.

Below us was farm country, with a little town, and many rolling hills. My senses told me we were in the south, but I couldn't tell where. Dr. Steve stood up, gained his balance, and said "Well boys, welcome to Roseville, Virginia. And welcome," we rose up over a tall hill "to Gallagher."

_Wow._ This was nothing like our military-like school, with the barbed wire fences to keep us in, and the mountains protecting us from all those who wish to learn our secrets. Compared to Blackthorne, Gallagher was a palace. A long drive led up to the front gates, a stone wall surrounding the mansion and the manicured front lawn. There was no doubt about it. This was a place for princesses, and we were… delinquents. Castoffs. The unwanted. I looked down at my yellow jumpsuit.

Well, I was sure as hell going to stand out here.

Just as I was contemplating my jumpsuit, a bundle of clothes fell on my lap. I looked up in surprise. Dr. Steve was grinning. "Get dressed boys, time to get going! Dinner is in half an hour.

By the time we had all gotten dressed the copter had landed on the Gallagher roof. The door opened, and we jumped out into the fresh Virginia sunlight.

**Well, there you go, hoped you all liked it. Tell me your thoughts, I love feedback.**

**Ciao!**


	10. Arriving at Gallagher

**Here is the next chapter, so… Enjoy!**

The sunlight blinded us for a second, and the wind was whipping our new uniforms as we stood on the Gallagher roof. We spread out, watching the copter fly away from us. It was our last link to Blackthorne.

Dr. Steve looked at his watch. "They should be here right about-"

"Now." Finished another voice, ringing across the roof. We turned to find a woman advancing towards us, a welcoming smile on her face.

I could see half the boys drooling as she stopped in front of us. I had to admit, she was beautiful, but you could tell that she was dangerous. Her figure was welcoming, but I saw her hand drift towards her pocket as she felt our eyes on her. I really didn't want to know what sort of lethal weapon was in _that_ pocket.

"Hello, I presume that you are Dr. Sanders. I am Rachel Morgan, Headmistress of Gallagher Academy." She turned to us, slowly walking along the row of boys in front of her, greeting us each separately, and by name. She was memorizing our faces no doubt. I straightened up, bracing myself. As I expected, she stopped in front of me.

"Mr. Goode, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard many great things about you. You're the one who beat my daughter in that mission a week or so ago, right?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

I tensed, but stood my ground. "Yes, but she made it quite difficult." She was going to have a grudge against me, I just knew it. Some crap about beating her daughter no doubt.

But imagine my surprise when she smiled and said "Well, you did an excellent job yourself, Mr. Goode."

I nodded and smiled back, because…well, I figured it would be rude to smirk at the Headmistress on my first day. And she seemed genuinely nice.

Ms. Morgan stepped back and addressed the group, her voice carrying over the wind. "You will find your rooms in the East wing, were you will have to wait for dinner. Your visit is a… surprise of sorts to the girls, so please don't reveal that you are here. You will come down to breakfast tomorrow morning and be introduced to the rest of the student body then." She smiled. "I hope you all enjoy your time at Gallagher."

With that she led us down a steep spiraling staircase, and through a stone hallway. She turned halfway down a hallway to the right and pulled away a painting on a wall. There was a family tree occupying the large frame, and I was surprised to find that it pulled away from the wall easily, revealing a dark passageway behind it.

A smirk played across my lips. Secret passageways, stone walls, highly trained spy girls… I loved this place already.

As we quietly filed into the cramped passageway, I heard footsteps down the hallway. I tensed, expecting it to be Cammie or one of her friends. But no, it was Mr. Solomon.

"Hello, boys." He said raising a hand in welcome. We nodded back, waiting for Ms. Morgan to enter the passageway.

Ms. Morgan turned to us, standing just outside the entrance. "Mr. Solomon will show you to your rooms." She said. "Joe is anyone currently… _using_ the passageways right now who might encounter them?" she asked, addressing Mr. Solomon. He shook his head, smirking. "Alright then, someone will bring up your dinner, I hope you all have a good nights sleep." She smiled at us. "You will need it."

I noticed her stress on the word _using_. I guess she must have problems with students hiding in the passageways. Unfortunately, at Blackthorne, we didn't have any secret passageways. No space.

My smirk widened. Ooh, I am going to have fun learning my way around this place.

We made our way to our room, crawling through 4 air ducts, which Grant could barely fit through, and jumping over one pit that apparently led to certain death, according to Mr. Solomon. I could tell he enjoyed seeing the younger guy's faces go white.

I heard loud pop music overhead, and someone yelling at another to keep it down. I guessed that we were under the girls dorms. I smirked, and put my hand to my pocket. If everything went as planed, I would have this entire place bugged by the end of next week. Suddenly I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Give me the bugs, Zach."

_Crap_.

**Later, In the East Wing**

Grant, Jonas and I got a room all to ourselves, which was absolutely awesome, because we were the farthest from Dr Steve's room. The seniors were closest to him, and they hated it. One of them tried to bribe me with information on our final exam if I switched with them, but I refused. Nothing on earth could make me endure his _3 o'clock am_ snoring sessions.

We had put our 2 extra uniforms in our respective drawers, and sat on our beds, waiting to be called down to dinner. Apparently Dr. Steve had gotten slightly confused, and we had gotten to Gallagher an hour and a half _early_. This meant we had an hour to kill before dinner arrived.

The suit cases had arrived 10 minutes ago, and apparently they had grabbed everything that was in our dorms. I hope they didn't look at our stuff very carefully. There are certain extra-curricular activities that you don't want your teachers to find out about.

I sat on my comfy bed, with the four pillows, which were all fluffed up to perfection. I was contemplating how long it would take to learn a few of the passageways, and whether or not the guys would notice my absence.

I looked over at the two of them. Grant was flipping through a _People_ magazine contentedly. Jonas was engrossed with his laptop, because Gallagher apparently had faster Wi-fi than Blackthorne. I smirked. They wouldn't miss me.

I stretched and walked unhurriedly to the wall that led back to the passageway that Ms. Morgan had led us through. I walked through like it was natural for a teenage guy to slide a seemingly solid wall back and walk through the opening, shutting it behind him.

I spent the next hour creeping behind picture frames, through vents, and under the moat. I must say, by the end of it, I was positively _disgusting_. I had spider webs on my uniform, grime streaking my face, and unidentified green stuff in my hair. I loved it.

I sat on the roof among the remains of some sort of pigeon housing area. I don't know what it was exactly, but it was peaceful, and I could see the lake from up there. I had no idea if the guys had discovered that I was gone, but I didn't really care. I was truly happy for the first time in a few months, and nothing could ruin it. Not even the unexpected arrival of Joe Solomon.

"Hello Zachary." He said, sitting down next to me on the pigeon crate. I smirked at him

"Hello Joseph."

This was our ongoing joke, and it made us both smile like the old friends that we were. Joe has always been part of my life, and I really respected him. He respected me too. I don't know why, but had never questioned it. Joe broke the silence.

"So, how are you liking Gallagher? I almost didn't recognize you for all the dirt, so I guess you figured out about half of the passageways, right?"

I looked up in surprise "Only half of them?"

He smirked back at me "Yea there are tons. I think Cammie knows them best though. She looked just like you when she first arrived at Gallagher," he gestured at the spider webs. "According to Rachel." He said rather wistfully. He seemed to shake himself. "Anyway, how do you like Gallagher?"

I contemplated the question. "I think I like it, but then again, I haven't met anyone and haven't been to any classes. Ask me tomorrow."

He nodded. We fell back into silence, watching some girls exit a barn and make their way to the front doors. Three figures exited the barn last, slowly following the others. Another girl shot out of the barn, running toward the little group, nearly running into them. Their laughter drifted up to us, easy and carefree. The sound brought a small smile to Joe's face. I raised an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged in an answer. "Cam and her friends." He shook his head still smiling. "They are going to be _good_."

He leaned back and considered me for a second. Then he continued. "Bex has natural grace in combat, while Liz is a technical wizard. Macey knows the most about what is actually out there." He gestured out at the horizon.

I nodded, wondering why he was telling me this. I mean, it is good to know a bit more about them; we had been trying to dig up information on them for a week with almost no results.

Joe continued, slowly. "And Cammie... well, I think you already know her special skills." And with that he stood, stretching his back, offering me a hand. I smirked and grasped it, hauling myself up. We made our way back to the door that led to my dorm, where my dinner waited.

**The next morning**

I woke up early, not recognizing where I was. _Where is all the…grey?_ Instead of the grimy concrete of our Blackthorne dorm, I was greeted by white sheets and the light, flowery scent of roses. It was seven thirty-two in the morning, and I was surprised with myself. I had gotten up at five in the morning everyday for the last six years, even when I was on vacation.

I sat up, stretching, and looked over a Grant and Jonas's beds. _They_ however were gone. I swore and jumped out of the bed, running down the hallway to Dr. Steve's room. Maybe I had missed breakfast, or they had gone one a mission, or… nah… no need to overreact. I pressed my ear to Dr. Steve's door. Yep, he was still snoring. I sighed in relief and padded back down the hallway to our room.

I froze when I heard movement behind the door. I steadied my nerves and flung open the door, shooting into the room, my hands up and ready to punch the lights out of whoever was in my room.

When I came face to face with a half dressed and terrified Grant, I started cracking up. I mean, the look on his face was just _hilarious_. He looked like he was actually _scared_ of being beat up for the first time in his life.

"What the heck man! You looked like you wanted to rip me limb from limb!"

I didn't answer, still trying to choke back my laughter, and stumbled to the bathroom. I hopped in the shower, a smile on my face. I had forgotten where I was. I was pretty safe here, and there was no way my "little friends" would be able to get in here. I mean, Joe Solomon was here, along with the best security system Jonas had ever encountered. I could relax, right?

No reason to almost punch my best friend's lights out. That thought sent another flood of giggles through me. I shook myself. No time to joke around, today was our first day at Gallagher. Better be ready.

**30 minutes later**

We waited for whoever it was who was going to take us down to the dinning hall in our common room. It was decked out with comfy chairs, bookcase (Which had a passageway that led down to the first floor behind it), and a small fireplace. The fifteen Blackthorne bays were lounging around, with Dr. Steve watching the door.

Grant, Jonas and I sat next to the fireplace, even though there was no fire, killing time. Grant was snoring steadily, despite the fact that he had gotten 3 more hours of sleep last night than usual. Jonas was curled up in an overstuffed chair, his face white and nervous.

I sat in the chair to the right of Jonas, tinkering with my old comms unit again. I had gotten it to pick up the local frequencies, so I was gradually making my way through the different wavelengths, trying to find something interesting. No Luck.

I looked back over to Jonas, who was still white. "Hey, Jonas!" I called, trying to divert his attention from his fear of the spy girls. "You want to help me find something useful on my comms unit?" The idea made him sit up and happily slide out of his chair, and he walked over to my chair, kneeling on the floor next to me.

"Here, can I see it?"

"Sure"

He tinkered with it, flipping through the channels expertly till he reached the right one.

"Here. This is the one that the Gallagher Girls usually use. You know, on missions and stuff. They probably don't turn it off or change channels, so you should be able to find something on here.

We both leaned over it listening intently. Suddenly, we could here a girl yelling on the other side.

"Bex, GET MACEY OUT OF THE BATHROOM! We only have 3 minutes to get down to breakfast, AND SHE IS STILL DOING HER HAIR!"

After that, we could only pick up the slam of a door and more incomprehensible yelling.

I turned off the unit and sighed. Girls. I just couldn't understand them. Or why it took so long for them to _do their hair_.

Mr. Solomon appeared in the doorway, and the conversations stopped as all eyes turned to him.

"Time to go," he said, his face unsmiling.

We jumped up and got in a line, some of the guys pushing to get in the front. Grant was among them. Jonas ended up somewhere in the middle, while I was pushed to the end. I didn't argue.

We walked through the halls, making our way to the great staircase. We descended to the entrance hall, taking a right to the dining room.

A sign above the doorway said Germany- German, and you could hear people talking behind the heavy oak doors. I could pick up a few words, and was surprised to find that they were being said in German.

_Wow,_ I thought. They weren't joking when they said that this place had the best curriculum. Then I remembered that I was fluent in 13 different languages, and was working on Fijian.

Mr. Solomon stopped us at the closed door. He nodded to Dr. Steve and said "Give me 45 seconds." With that, he slipped through the doors, and into the dinning hall.

40 seconds later, the talking stopped, and we could hear Ms. Morgan's voice through the door.

"Excuse me ladies, but I have an announcement to make."

And with that, Dr. Steve threw open the doors and lead us through. I fixed one of my famous smirks on my face. _Time to face the music._

…**...**

I heard the cutlery hit the tables; I heard the unanimous gasp that ran through the girls sitting at the benches. I even smelled the delicious Belgian waffles that were being served. But the look on their faces was priceless.

We sauntered between the benches, making our way to the head table. Every set of eyes in the room were on us. Jonas was the only guy not enjoying it. In fact, he looked a bit hunted.

This is _awesome_!

My eyes lazily ran over the faces that we past. That girl's mouth was open… as was hers, her too, and that one was drooling.

Ms. Morgan started talking again, but no one was really listening. Grant looked back at me from the front, grinning from ear to ear. Jonas had even returned to his natural coloring.

We reached the front table, and I still hadn't seen Cammie. We lined up against the head table, facing the rest of the school. I was on the end, and I leaned on the edge, searching for her. Ah, there she was.

Cammie was in sitting at a table with the rest of the girls who had gone on the mission, as well as a small girl with blonde hair and a tall girl who didn't even look up from her magazine. I swear that I had seen that one before, but not on the mission… huh.

Oh well, I turned my gaze back to Cammie. She was listening to the girl with the magazine, who was the only one in the hall that looked like she could care less that we were here. _McHenry…_ Yep, that's where I know her. She was Macey McHenry, the senator's daughter.

Grant was looking way too happy as he checked out the three-hundred-or-so girls who were in front of him. The senior next to him raised his eyebrows and punched him hard in the arm, trying to wipe the grin off his face. This shook Grant out of his thoughts enough for him to start threatening the senior rather loudly. I don't think any of the girls noticed, but Ms. Morgan sure did.

Ms. Morgan glanced back at us, giving Grant a subtle glare, and continued with her speech. "It's my pleasure to introduce Dr. Steven Sanders. Dr. Sanders…" She paused as Dr. Steve walked up to the podium, a grin on his round face.

The guys and I glanced at each other, worried. _What is he doing?_

He tilted the mike towards himself and said "Dr. Steve."

Ms. Morgan politely said "Excuse me?"

"Call me _Dr. Steve_!" he said punching the air energetically.

_Oh great._

Ms. Morgan thankfully cut him off before he could continue.

"Of course," She told him, and turned back to the rest of the student body. "_Dr. Steve_ and his students will be spending the rest of the semester with us." at this, whispers erupted among the girls, buzzing like a million bees. "They will be attending your classes, and eating with you at meals. Ladies, this is a wonderful opportunity, and I hope you will use this time to forge bonds of friendship that you can carry with you throughout you lives."

I looked at Cammie's table, where the girls were excitedly talking. I paid attention to their lips and could make out one girl saying "I wouldn't mind being bonded to _him_!" She was gesturing at the end of the table, where I was.

As every eye at that table turned to me, I put a smile on my face and stared at the only one who was looking at me in surprise. And recognition.

Gallagher Girl, we meet again.

**Well, yet another chapter in my story. I guess you guys have figured out that I'm going to do the entire book, but I'm not going to change the title. Review and tell me what you all think.**

**Ciao!**


	11. First Day

**There we go; I think I wrote this chapter pretty quick. Enjoy!**

After a brief breakfast, we hurried back up to our dorms to collect our schedules and get any textbooks we might need. We had twelve textbooks, and those on the research track got an extra one for advanced organic chemistry. Jonas's eyes lit up when he saw the extra one on his bed, and he would have opened it… if Grant hadn't hit him over the head with his own quantum physics textbook.

We were given directions to our classrooms, and we departed, with Dr. Steve tagging along with us to our _Countries of the World_ class, or "COW" as Dr. Steve explained excitedly. We reached the right room, with a plaque above the door saying "Mr. Smith" in gold lettering.

We could hear a man talking from behind the door, asking a question about a tribe in the Chilean section of the Andes Mountain range. Dr. Steve shook himself and gave us two thumbs up before opening the door and saying "Knock, Knock!"

The man at the front of the classroom didn't pause in his lecture, but shot us a disapproving look.

"Good morning ladies." said Dr. Steve, ignoring the look. He entered the room with us cautiously following him.

All the girls turned, their faces expectant. I could see the little blonde girl- Liz, according to Mr. Solomon- sitting in front of Bex, and behind Bex was Cammie. When Bex saw Grant, her eyes lit up and a smile crept across her face. It looked slightly evil, actually, but Grant sighed a bit when he saw her, the big baby.

Liz observed us with a calculating look, as if we were specimens under a microscope. She looked harmless, like a little pixie. Judging by the four textbooks and thesaurus poking out of her bag, she was a brainiac, just like my little friend Jonas.

Cammie, however, was slightly… scowling? Her mouth opened, like she was about to comment, but she seemed to think better of it. She looked at me, and the scowl disappeared, replaced by delicate frown. Her eyes went wide, like she was looking for an exit. Finding none, she slowly shrank into the back of her seat, looking at the three of us suspiciously. The hard turn to her mouth looked faintly… angry?

My gaze was averted when the man at the front of the room- Mr. Smith, I think- addressed Dr. Steve.

"Can I help you, Dr. Sanders?" he said, quite obviously irritated. I saw Dr. Steve's eye twitch at the name, but he didn't mention it, thankfully. By the looks of Mr. Smith, that little argument would bring Mr. Smith to blows. Instead, Dr. Steve waved his finger in the air, as if he was trying to remember something that had just eluded his mind.

"I say, your voice sounds so familiar." Said Dr. Steve. "Have we ever met before?"

The girls all started to smirk like the answer was some sort of private joke. I wonder why… hmm. I examined Mr. Smith's face. It showed no signs of plastic surgery, but I couldn't be sure from this distance. Ah, who cares? I'll save that little mystery for later

"No," Mr. Smith said, his voice frosty. "I'm quite sure we haven't."

"Never did any work at the Andover Institute, did you?"

"No." Said Mr. Smith again, turning back to the board with chalk in hand, preparing to continue his lecture.

"Oh well," Said Dr. Steve, coughing nervously. Then he pointed back to us, saying "Shall we have the boys introduce themselves?"

"I have learned, Dr. Sanders-"

"Steve," Said Dr. Steve grinning, although Mr. Smith continued like he hadn't been interrupted.

"-that ours in an occupation where names are- at best- temporary, but if they must…" He gestured to us, letting us step to the front of the classroom. I had to admit, he was right. Covers are a large part of a spy's life, as I had proved on the mission last week.

Jonas was prodded forward by Dr. Steve, swallowing nervously. He was pulling at his tie like it was a whole new type of torture, which it really was. We had spent half an hour trying to figure how to tie the wretched things, and they were _really_ uncomfortable. "Um… I'm Jonas," He said, looking back at me like I could save him. I shot him an encouraging smile, but he missed it and started to babble. "I'm sixteen. I'm a sophomore. I like-"

"Thus your enrollment in this class." Interrupted Mr. Smith, cutting Jonas off before he could pick up speed. "Welcome, Jonas. Please have a seat."

"Excellent job, Jonas." Said Dr. Steve as Mr. Smith started handing out a pop quiz. "Excellent job. Now, Jonas here is on the research track of study. I don't suppose any of you young ladies could show Jonas around?" He asked with a hand on Jonas's shoulder.

The little blonde girl in front of Bex said "Humph!" I think that this had more to do with Bex kicking the back of her chair than wanting to show Jonas around. Never less, Dr. Steve pointed to her and said "Excellent"

The girls in the class simultaneously raised their eyebrows at Dr. Steve's "excellent" comment. I had almost forgotten about that little quirk of our teacher. After 5 years you get used to it.

"Jonas, you can spend the day with Ms. …" Dr. Steve looked to the small girl- Liz.

"Sutton. Liz Sutton." Ah… wonderful James Bond moment there. Jonas blushed as he slid into the seat next to Liz, who had a small smile on her face. Grant stepped up next, smiling at the girls in the front row.

"I'm Grant," said Grant, and half the girls swooned. He sat next to Bex, who smiled at him, tossing her hair. Cammie shot Bex a look that clearly said _"What was that?"_ but Bex didn't catch it.

Instead of waiting for Dr. Steve to introduce me, I started walking to the back of the room, towards Cam. "I'm Zach," I said, sliding into the chair next to Cammie, who was frozen like a statue. "And I think I've found my guide."

Dr. Steve said "Excellent!" and exited, but Cam didn't seem to agree.

I smirked. This is going to a very _excellent_ day.

After class Cammie took one look at me and raced out of the classroom, barely remembering her books. I slowly followed her, knowing that she _had_ to wait for me. I found her learning against the wall out side, watching the students passing by without seeming to really see them. I decided to interrupt her thoughts.

"So we meet again." Wow, I can't believe I said _that_. I had forgotten what Mr. Smith had said about covers- her cover had met my cover. Cameron Morgan had not met Zachary Goode. Yet.

This place wasn't for the claustrophobic; I can tell you that right now. Girls pressed against us, like a rushing river, but Cammie and I didn't get swept away with the current.

I look around, seeing the cold stone walls and ancient pillars that surrounded us. "So _this_ is the famous Gallagher Academy." I said, more to my self than to her. She answered anyway, though.

"Yes, this is the second-floor corridor. Most of our classes are down this hall." She was very polite, even though she seemed like she didn't want to be. But I didn't really listen; too busy looking at the girl in front of me.

Cammie was average height, with smooth light brown hair. Her eyes were deep chocolate, and she was slightly tan. The people pushing past us didn't seem to notice her, but I couldn't help it. Something about her was… I don't know. Interesting? Special? Intriguing… attractive? Nope, I was _not_ going to followthat particular train of thought.

She looked at me sideways, eyebrows raised. I realized that I had been staring at her- and that I needed an explanation for doing so. "And _you're_…" I said slowly "the famous Cammie Morgan."

There, that worked well. Now, she was probably wondering how I knew her name. _Good going, Zach. Now she probably thinks you're a stalker or something._

Not that I wasn't… but I used that term loosely. I wasn't _really_ a stalker. I just hacked for 3 days strait trying to find dirt on this girl. No biggie.

Actually, I could make how much I know about her an advantage. Yep, I could definitely work the Mysterious & Sexy angle.

Cammie looked uncomfortable, like she was in a spotlight. "Come on," she mumbled, turning down the hallway. "Culture and Assimilation is on the fourth floor."

I had started to follow her when I heard the "Culture" part of the sentence. I stopped, and she turned, exasperated. "Whoa," I said, a mocking smile growing on my lips. "Did you just say you're taking me to _culture _class?"

Cammie closed her eyes and sighed. "_Yes._"

I started grinning, enjoying her rising state of exasperation.

"Boy, when they say you've got the toughest curriculum in the world, they mean it." I didn't mean it at all. Hell, _culture class_? This was a piece of cake compared to night drills or our _Art of Interrogation_ class. I would be coasting through this semester.

Cammie regained control over herself, and turned back down the hall, the picture of composure. I caught up with her as she said "Culture and Assimilation has been part of the Gallagher curriculum for more than a hundred years, Zach."

We turned up a hallway, and stopped in front of a door. Cammie continued. "A Gallagher Girl can blend into any culture- any environment. Assimilation isn't a matter of social graces." She put her hand on the door knob. "It's a matter of life and death."

I actually felt slightly humbled.

She opened the door, and the sound of music filled the hallway around us. From the doorway, we could hear a woman from inside say "Today, ladies and gentlemen, we will be studying the art of… the dance!"

Cammie's eyes went wide as she whipped her head around to look into the class room. I took the opportunity to lean in and whisper in her ear.

"Yea… Life. And. Death." 

We walked into the tea room, seeing the overstuffed chairs, lace curtains, and delicate china. The dance floor in the middle of the room had been cleared, and a woman stood in the middle, under a crystal chandelier. She gracefully walked over to the students, serenely smiling at Grant, Jonas, and I.

"I have been saving this very special class for the arrival of our very special guests." She exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

Cammie still hadn't spoken a word, so I decided to provoke her. "You hear that, I'm special." I whispered, and I raised my eyebrows when she met my eyes, challenging her to contradict me.

"That's a matter of-" She started but Madame Dabney called on her before she could finish.

"Oh, Cameron dear, would you and your friend like to demonstrate for the rest of the class?" I smiled and nodded pleasantly. Madame Dabney smiled back charmingly and pulled us onto the dance floor. I absentmindedly wondered how much Cammie was going to want to kill me at the end of the day.

"You must be Zachary Goode. Welcome to Gallagher Academy." Said Madame Dabney, showing much more tact than Mr. Smith had. "Now, I must ask that you place your right hand firmly in the center of Cameron's lower back." I did so, a smug smile on my face.

I saw Grant in a corner, watching me with a knowing smile on his face. I grinned back at him, and turned back to Madame Dabney. She stepped back and appraised us, and when satisfied, she turned back to the class.

"Okay, now everyone find a partner." Some scuffling between the girls near Grant caught Madame Dabney's attention. "Yes, girls, some of you will have to take turns being the boy." At that, everyone scattered, chatting and grabbing partners, everyone trying to be near Grant and Jonas, seeing as I was already taken.

Bex had put a possessive had on Grant's arm, a silent message to the rest to back off. Jonas had somehow stepped on Liz's feet at the exact time as she stepped on his, and they stood there, awkwardly blushing and apologizing. Ah… true love. Jonas had finally found someone as clumsy as him.

Everyone was soon in pairs and spread out on the dance floor. We stood silent, waiting for Madame Dabney's instructions.

"Ladies," she said, "you will place your right hand firmly in your partner's palm." Cammie's hand met mine, rather reluctantly.

"What's the matter, Gallagher Girl; you're not actually mad about last week, are you?" I asked, puzzled. She didn't answer, but her eyes flashed dangerously, giving me my answer.

The music grew louder; Madame Dabney saying "Now, ladies and gentlemen, we will begin with a basic box step. No, Rebecca, if you are going to dance with Grant then you_ must let him lead_!" But I didn't really hear her. We stood directly under the chandelier, Cammie's eyes guarded and unforgiving.

I smiled at her, trying to get her to loosen up; for her to understand. "It was a cover, Gallagher Girl. An op. Maybe you're familiar with the concept?"

But before she could answer, Madame Dabney appeared, pushing us closer. "Hold your partners tightly!" she announced, and before either one of us knew it, we were dancing.

**There you go, Zach's first day at Gallagher. How did you like it? Please tell me if you found anything **_**really**_** wrong (I just realized that the mission was a day before, instead of a week, but tough noogies, I'm not changing it!) **

**Ciao!**


	12. 2 Weeks

**Hey, here is the next Chapter! Enjoy!**

The next 2 weeks flew by, and we started to settle in. Well, as much as any Blackthorne Boy can. We had always been taught to never get to comfortable- you never know when you will need to pack up and hit the road again. It took a whole week for us to unpack our suitcases into our drawers, despite Dr. Steve's assurances that we were staying here for a while. We kept our necessity packs under our beds, ready for any middle of the night get-aways.

Grant loved our dorm and common room, and would never get out of bed it I didn't threaten to force feed him highly toxic chemicals. Grant would always shoot out of bed and lumber to the bathroom, never remembering that I didn't _have_ access to any toxic chemicals- yet.

I don't think Jonas would come back from the labs if we didn't force him. Yea, he liked the Gallagher Labs, but a certain Liz Sutton could also be found in the labs 9 times out of 10. He was infatuated with her, almost as much as Grant was with Bex, who he had nicknamed British Bombshell. After watching her sparring with a senior, I agreed with him. That girl was _dangerous_.

As for me, I had been swamped by swooning girls for the first few days, but I had caught several girls whispering and looking between me and Cam when I walked into Breakfast one morning. The girls who had been on the mission had been watching Cammie and me a lot as well. I didn't get it.

Cammie didn't like me. Hell, she could stand me. She showed me around the first 2 days, being polite and guide-like, and then… nothing. She avoided me, two weeks straight.

Now, I was hard to shake off, but somehow she managed it. I waited for her by the doorway, and walked just in front of her in hallways. I didn't know she was _that_ mad about the mission, and I became determined to get her to like me. Just a bit, like she would willingly have a conversation with me without looking for an escape route.

It had been two weeks exactly when I overheard Mr. Solomon's conversation with Ms. Morgan. I had been walking through the passageway that passes behind her office on my way to the dorms when I heard his voice.

"…I think it's time we did another mission in Roseville. The girls need to get out of the mansion and work with the boys for a bit. The girls haven't been to town in forever, not since the Josh incident." Said Mr. Solomon's voice, drifting through the metal grate above my head.

Ms. Morgan sighed. "Do you think it's really time for that? I mean, Cam could run into him, and she isn't ready for that… I don't know. Can you make sure that she has back up if you go? And it has to be at a time when there are very few people on the streets." Mr. Solomon grunted in response. "Good. Permission granted."

With that, I heard a rustling of papers and a door closing. I waited, ear pressed to the wall. I heard the headmistress sigh, and turn on the coffee maker.

I turned back to the passageway, and jumped. Mr. Solomon stood there, his face in shadow. I heard the click of a flashlight and wiped my face of any traces of surprise. His flashlight passed over my face and back to his. He grinned crookedly at me, the light of the flashlight playing across his features eerily. 

"We need to talk."

…...

We went slowly made our way down the hallways, slowly making our way down the great staircase.

Mr. Solomon had told me about a mission last semester, where the girls had to tail Mr. Smith into town. He said that she had been compromised by a civilian, named Josh Abrams. I really didn't understand why he was telling me this, but let him continue. He briefed me on Cammie's actions that semester: Sneaking out, lying, and dating him for almost a whole semester. He was almost finished when we reached the doorway to the dinning room.

We stood in the doorway, watching the students go about their normal breakfast rituals. Grant was flirting with a couple girls near the buffet table, while Jonas was leaning over a waffle iron, looking down the table at Liz, who was getting oatmeal. I wondered whether or not he noticed that his tie was on fire.

Cammie sat at her normal table, talking with her friends about who knows what. And I didn't care either. She was just some mediocre spy who thinks that she is perfect. I sighed, leaning against the door frame. Alright, I just lied. I would give anything to know what they were talking about. You can't blame me. When the one girl you want to talk to avoids you for 2 weeks strait, you get a bit bitter. And she is far from mediocre. And she _is_ perfect.

I saw Mr. Solomon looking at me out of the corner of his eye, a small grin on his face. "What about Cameron has you so interested, Goode?" I shrugged, playing it cool.

"She's been avoiding me for 2 weeks. She hasn't forgotten about D.C." I said musing. We walked to the waffle bar in silence, and Joe seemed to be in deep thought. I leaned over to pick up a plate when he broke the silence.

"Zach, you are extremely good at thinking on your feet, are you not?" I nodded slowly in agreement, not quite sure what he was talking about. "Zach," he said. "I know that you overheard the conversation in the headmistress's office, and you know that we are going on a mission into town today. I would like you to stay with Cammie, and keep her out of trouble. You are more experienced than her, and apparently you two have some problems that you two need to work out. Agreed?"

"Agreed." What else could I say? He wasn't really giving me a choice, and he was right- this would be a perfect opportunity to talk to her and she wouldn't be able to get out of it. It was perfect.

A sudden feeling of being watched washed over me- a feeling that I had learned to trust over the years. I turned in the direction of Cammie's table, searching. Solomon turned as well, watching them intently. It took me a few seconds to realize that they were _all_ looking at me, silent. A girl- Tina, I think- was leaning across the table to talk to Cam, who was the only one not looking at me.

Tina nodded in my direction, an exited smile on her face as if to say "_Yes, there he is! He's looking at you!" _ I saw Cammie's Head jerk a bit, and I saw her glance at me in the reflection of the Orange Juice pitcher. _She was good._ I thought, staring straight back.

Cam turned her head a bit, and I could see her lips moving, as well as Tina's. They were only 15 feet away, and lip reading would be a piece of cake. I kept on watching them as everyone's gazes were redirected at Cammie and Tina.

"So," said Tina, "do you like him?" I can't say that I wasn't slightly eager to hear Cam's answer. Cammie's eyes ran up and down the table and she gaped at Tina. She didn't answer. Tina leaned in closer, excited. "Because, according to my research, you technically have dibs on Zach, since you talked to him first. If you want him."

Wow. I did not know that Cammie had dibs on me of any sort, but I was pretty sure that rule did _not _exist. At least, not among guys. You see a girl, you want her, and you try as hard as you can to get her. It was pretty simple. The disturbing this is that I didn't mind that Cammie had dibs on me- not in the slightest. I banished my feelings to the side and concentrated on my eavesdropping.

"Tina," Cammie said as she leaned over the table, pronouncing each word carefully. "I officially relinquish my claim to Zach." At that point, I turned my back on the table, turning to face Mr. Solomon. His eyebrows were raised- a silent question.

"Yea, I'll be her partner today." I said easily, and he nodded slightly, turning towards the head table. Somehow I got some food and found Grant and Jonas. I plunked down next to them, feeling tired already. This was going to be a long day, and I don't know how much more of this school I could take. Not much seemed to be going my way today.

"Don't let them get to you." Said Jonas, a comforting smile on his face. I gave him a weak smile in return.

"How did you know about that?"

"Know what?" asked Grant. He looked slightly confused, but patted me on the back all the same.

"That Cammie kind of just said that she didn't like me in any way to her friends, and now I have to be her partner on a mission today." I said dejectedly, looking through the large windows at lake that glistened outside. "Today is _not_ my day."

Grant nodded and tried to comfort me. Then he realized that I had said the words "today" and "mission" in the same sentence. He proceeded to interrogate me about everything I knew about the mission. And when Jonas threw a spoonful of oatmeal in his face to shut him up, I couldn't help laughing. Somehow, my friends knew exactly how to make me feel better- distract me, and give Grant a 1st degree burn.

…

After breakfast was finished, Grant and I left to get to our first class- CoveOps. It was my favorite class of the day. Mr. Solomon was a natural teacher, and the girls all loved him. Cammie always came into the classroom smiling, so I guess it was her favorite class too.

We never got to the classroom, though. Mr. Solomon intercepted us on the way to the elevators, and took us out side. We entered one of the red shuttle vans with the Gallagher crest on the side, and were ordered to wait for him.

We talked aimlessly, from Bex to the P&E class yesterday. Neither one of us noticed the figure approaching the van until he knocked on the window next to Grant's head, eliciting a high scream from Grant. By the time I had regained my hearing, Dr. Steve had hopped into the driver's seat.

"Don't think that you should drive, Dr. Steve-" Started Grant, but the door opened once again, and Mr. Solomon entered, sitting between Grant and I. The girls followed, with Cam leading them. She looked around the van cautiously, and selected a seat that was possibly as far away from me as she could get.

The rest of the girls filed in, with Bex sitting next to Cammie, and the rest of the girls trying to get the seats nearest to me and Grant. No fights broke out, but Tina dug her nails into Mick Morrison's shoulder in order to get the seat next to me. She didn't turn all girly on me, because Mr. Solomon was on the _other_ side of me, and we were on a mission, after all.

Cammie covertly studied me, no doubt taking in my indifferent expression. I kept my emotions in check, but I was dreading the next 45 minutes. Dr. Steve was driving and talking to Mr. Solomon, slowly driving my favorite teacher insane. I was ready to take the wheel if Mr. Solomon gave in to his temptation to throw Dr. Steve out of the car.

We passed the gates and turned onto the road that led to town- also known as Roseville, a quaint little town where the rich girls of Gallagher were hated by all for being spoiled brats. I guess they have their cover, we have ours. But their cover is a lot more comfy.

Mr. Solomon spoke up as we passed through the gates. "Today is about the basics, ladies and gentlemen." He cleared his throat, a signal that Grant start listening and stop drawing pictures in the fogged up glass. "I want to watch you move; see you work together. Pay attention to your surroundings, and remember- half of your success in this business comes from looking like you belong, so today your cover is that you're a bunch of private-school students enjoying a trip to town."

The girl's straightened up, and nodded silently. I could see little Anna Fetterman look slightly scared, but Bex put a hand on her shoulder. Cammie looked down at her uniform, like she was memorizing it, and might forget if she wasn't careful. When she looked up, her gaze had hardened- she seemed stronger, like nothing would dare to ruin her day. She met my gaze across the van, but only for a second.

It was silent for a minute, waiting. Bex broke the silence. "What are we really?" she asked, and the whole van leaned forward, waiting for the answer. Mr. Solomon grinned at me for a millisecond- so fast that you would have missed it if you weren't… me.

"A bunch of spies"- Mr. Solomon pulled a quarter from his pocket and gave it a flip-"playing tag." A smirk played across my features. This was going to be one interesting day in town. The quarter landed in his palm, heads up. But I knew where he was going with this, and it had nothing to do with George Washington.

"Brush pass, Ms. Baxter," Mr. Solomon said. "Define it."

"The act of covertly passing an object between two agents." It sounded like Bex had swallowed a text book. In Blackthorne we didn't learn what something like this was by reading a text book or in a lecture- we learned them by _doing_ it on missions, and if we did it wrong it was our own fault and we would have to take the consequences. It was as simple as that.

"Correct." Said Mr. Solomon. "Little things can get away from you, ladies and gentlemen. The little things matter." I completely agreed. Hell, brush passes had saved Grant and I when we were on the Golden Gate Bridge when my mom- nope, not thinking about that. Not today, when things might just turn in my favor. Not today.

A voice from the front seat startled me. "So right you are, Mr. Solomon. As I was telling Headmistress Morgan just this-" Said Dr. Steve, who was cut off by Mr. Solomon as if he was invisible.

"It's just you and the street today," said Mr. Solomon. "Today's test might be low tech, but this is trade craft at its most essential." He pulled a box out from under his seat, placing it on his lap and removing the lid. Inside were comms units of many different variations, although few of them were manly. There were an abundance of earrings and necklaces, pins, and –thankfully- tie clips.

He started passing them out, giving a tie clip each to Grant and me. Cammie traded her silver cross necklace to Courtney Bauer with a grim expression on her face. Her new earrings were sterling silver studs with a tiny diamond in each. I knew that they were really just high-tech comms units, but they really were pretty.

The van had stopped, and Mr. Solomon had returned to his seat, tucking the box away neatly. "Watch. Listen." He said, looking each student in the eye. "Remember to communicate. Observe."

Kim Lee was having trouble with pinning on her American flag pin/camera onto her coat, and grant smoothly offered her his help. She swooned slightly as he helped her. I sighed. _How does he do it?_

"Pair off," said Mr. Solomon, continuing his instructions as he unlocked the van doors. "Blend in, and remember, we'll be watching." He shot me a look, as if saying that I should get going with Cam.

She had already started towards the doors with Bex, and I threw a frantic look at Mr. Solomon, asking for help. He sighed and called to her. "Oh no, Ms. Morgan, I believe you already have a partner."

**Alright, am I the only one who kind of thinks that the Gallagher Academy looks like Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books? When I was writing this, it was all that I could think about. Anyway, I think if I read this copy of CMHHS one more time the binding is going to fall **_**off**_**, so goodnight!**

**Ciao!**


	13. Brush Passes Class

**The next chapter! Sorry it took me a bit to update, I got addicted to 30 Rock, and have watch almost 4 seasons worth since last week. I think my parents are going to change the Netflix password… Enjoy!**

The class exited the bus, pulling on coats and wincing at the cold morning air. No one wore gloves due to the nature of our mission- brush passes. I found that Roseville was a quiet, quaint town, with a cute little gazebo in the middle of the square.

The class dispersed, pairing off and walking down the streets and alleys, leaving Cammie and me alone by the van. Mr. Solomon had pushed Dr. Steve out of the driver's seat, and they drove off, leaving us completely alone.

I felt her eyes on me, and turned to face her. She was biting her bottom lip, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but on this mission with me. She looked at our surroundings, blatantly avoiding my gaze. I shrugged and turned to face the square.

"Come on, Gallagher Girl," I said. "This should be fun."

Cammie looked at the Gazebo with apprehension, but followed me. We strolled up to the steps, looking like any two kids enjoying the sunshine.

But we weren't, not even close to it. We would never be normal- or at least I could never be. Who knew about Cammie, though? She had played the role of a normal girl for a whole semester in this very town. And I didn't really know anything about her. That was what annoyed me the most.

I had always been taught to know my enemy. That was the only way to survive in this business. I don't know whether or not Cammie was my _enemy_, but the same rules apply.

Our classmates spread out along Roseville's streets, waiting for Mr. Solomon to come over the comms and start the game of "tag". I leaned back on the gazebo steps, basking in the sunlight. I opened one eye to glance at Cam, who was sitting awkwardly on the side of the steps. "So, come here often?" I asked.

She shrugged, shivering in the cold wind. "I used to, but then the deputy director of the CIA made me promise to stop." I laughed lightly as I squinted up at her. She was just… just-

My thought was cut off as over the comms we heard Mr. Solomon's voice crackle into existence. "Okay, Ms. Walters, you're it. Be aware of your casual observers, and let's make those passes quick and clean."

I saw Tina and Courtney passing by Eva and Mick. Completely distracted, I pushed my thought to deep corner of my mind. I would think about it later. Tina and Eva's hands touched for the briefest moment, and Eva was it. All that Mr. Solomon had to say was "Good job."

The sun was so warm… I felt like a cat in a sunbeam. It never got this warm at Blackthorne, even in the summer. Cam's voice broke through the silence and my– brief- peace.

"So, what about you?" She asked with her head tilted to the side, like I was a puzzle she was trying to figure out. "Exactly where does the Blackthorne Institute call home?" Okay, that was a little nosy, but I guess it's in her nature. She _is_ a spy after all. But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna tell her either.

I cocked an eyebrow at her, and said "Oh, that's classified." It wasn't a lie… but getting her annoyed was hilarious. I was mocking her, and she knew it.

"Oh, so you can sleep inside _my_ school, but I can't even know where yours is?" she said, her cheeks flushing angrily.

It was so ironic that she wanted to know about _my _school- her school is a palace and the students are princesses compared to our school. Sure, we learn a lot, and are great spies… but some of what goes on in my school is less exemplary. She would run away from us in fear if she knew our whole story.

And if she knew everything about me, well… that would end badly.

I let out a laugh at the thought, even though it was in no way funny. "Trust me, Gallagher Girl," I said, my voice low and no longer mocking. "You wouldn't want to sleep n my school."

Her face showed no surprise but an eyebrow was raised, asking me to explain exactly _why_ she wouldn't want to sleep at our school. When I ignored the unspoken question, she sighed, obviously still curious- and annoyed.

Bex and Grant came into view, passing a couple of old men playing chess outside of a diner. Over the comms, Mr. Solomon asked Bex how many moves from checkmate the one in the green cap was. "Six." She answered, not even breaking her stride. I must say, the girls were really good, even better than I had thought.

"Why can't you tell me?" asked Cammie from the side of the steps, and I turned to find Cammie staring at me.

"Just trust me, Gallagher Girl." I straightened to face her, and placed my elbows on my knees. Her chocolate eyes caught mine and held them. I never said those words to anyone and really meant it. _Trust me_. Why did I say that? They were useless words. You can't trust anyone.

And who cares if she trusts me, she is just a girl who has a problem with me!

I've met people who didn't like me. Half of them tried to kill me, and the other half tried to make my life terrible. No one has succeeded in killing me yet, and my life isn't too bad. I guess Cammie just was… the sort of person who you felt like you needed. I _needed_ her to trust me.

So I flat out asked her. "Do you trust me?"

Mr. Solomon asked Mick a question, and she answered, but I didn't really notice. My eyes were still trained on Cammie, who was biting her lip. I knew that she didn't have any reason to trust me, so I leaned back and decided to let it go. For now.

In the reflection of the store windows across from us we could see Eva drop the quarter into the bag at Courtney's feet as she passed.

Mr. Solomon's voice came over the comms. "There was an ATM behind you, Ms. Alvarez. ATMs equal cameras. Tighten it up, ladies." That was impressive, and I could see Eva blush in embarrassment as she continued walking down the street.

"Solomon's good." I commented to Cammie, nodding at the ATM.

"Yea, he is."

I remembered the conversation with Mr. Solomon on the roof. "They say that you're good, too." Her eyes went wide, surprised. I guess that seemed a bit stalker-ish, but it was true.

She was considered one of the best spies at Gallagher, and sneaking out of the school is _not_ as easy as I had thought it would be. I spent my entire weekend trying to find an exit route, and I couldn't find a single one. Maybe they tightened up security over winter break.

I heard Mr. Solomon over the comms again, the question directed at me this time. "Okay, Zach. Without turning, tell me how many windows overlook the square from the west side." This was not very hard; seeing as before when I had turned to face Cam, I had been staring at the west side buildings. It was a simple sniper-check, because I was most vulnerable from that side. With a family like mine, you learn to check things like that.

"Fourteen." I said immediately. My eyes didn't stray from Cammie's wide brown ones, and I continued. "They say that you're a real pavement artist."

I leaned back on the steps, thinking about tailing her on the mission. "You know, it's probably a good thing we got to tail in D.C. If you'd been tailing me, I probably wouldn't have seen you."

It was a compliment- I swear it. It was high praise, and she should have been thrilled to hear it. But she wasn't. The light in her eyes changed, turning them dark and _hurt_. I could only see her eyes for a second, because they turned to steel as she bounded up from the steps, looking lost for a second, and turned away from me, leaving me in her dust.

I stood up quickly, but she was long gone. I took off down the street, trying to catch up with the mysterious brunette. She was probably okay, but why would she run off like that?

_Girls!_ I thought. _When are they going to start to make sense?_

Mr. Solomon announced that Cammie was it, and was in possession of the quarter. So I knew her general direction, because Bex had been "it", and she and Grant had just appeared around the corner on the opposite side of the square. Bex got in a solid glare before Grant pulled her away. I took the hint and took off down the street in the direction they had just come from.

I looked around a corner to find Cammie in front of a pharmacy. Two teenagers stood in front of her, obviously civilians. There was a guy- who looked sweet, innocent, and slightly like Grant in the looks department- and a girl completely decked out in pink. She made me want to puke.

Cammie's back was straight, and she looked… caught. I connected the dots. He was Josh, her old boyfriend, and it was about to get awkward. I saw Josh smile tentatively at her, and the girl shoot him a look. They were inching away from each other. I saw Cammie's head jerked back very slightly.

I sighed. It was time for me to go "rescue" her from the civilians, otherwise know as this Josh guy and his little girlfriend. Who knew that two people could shock Cammie into silence? I mean, she could beat up a dude three times his size, and could eat his little friend for lunch.

_Relationships are so troublesome, _I thought. _Why do we even bother with them? _

I walked up behind Cammie, eyeing the two people in front of us. They were not as good-looking up close, I must say. I caught the end of the girl's sentence as I turned around the corner, walking up behind them.

"… For the fling, Friday night. And-" she said, and would have continued if I hadn't called over to the little group, cutting off her mundane conversation.

"Cammie, there you are," I said as I reached them, stopping next to Cammie abruptly, looking the two "townies" up and down.

I decidedly did _not_ like Josh. He was looking at Cammie weirdly, like he wanted to be closer to her. I had a strange urge to punch him in the face, but I suppressed it. No reason to hit the guy until he gave me a reason to.

I looked back to Cammie, who gave me a thankful look. Or at least that's how I interpreted it. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to," I said, looking at her steadily. I turned to Josh, and held out a hand. "I'm Zach."

The girl in pink looked from me to Cammie and back again, her smile widening. It only took me a couple of seconds to realize what she was thinking. She thought that we were together, though that was possibly the farthest thing from our actual relationship that she could get. I could work with this, though.

Josh looked like someone had tried to explain quantum physics to him- utterly confused. He looked back and forth between us for a few seconds, a frown forming on his face.

Cammie sighed slightly and took a step forward, and began to introduce us. I guess Madame Dabney really drilled her manners into her, because despite the look of utter terror on Cam's face, she said "Zach. This is Dee-Dee. And Josh. They're…" She faltered, unsure.

Dee-Dee supplied the words for her. "We're friends of Cammie's." she said, smiling a million miles a minute.

Cammie nodded and turned to me. "Zach and I…" at this point, I think words completely failed her.

So I cut in, saying "I go to school with Cammie." It was the most honest thing I could have said. Cammie's shoulders relaxed for a second, but went rigid when Dee-Dee voiced her next question.

"Really? I thought it was an all-girl's school."

I answered for Cam, who looked like she was going to puke her guts out all over Dee-Dee's pink coat. "Actually, my school is doing an exchange with Gallagher this semester."

I shot a glance at Cammie. Her hand was in a tight fist, and I realized that she still had the quarter. I slipped my hand into hers, gently getting the quarter from her palm as she looked at me in shock. I don't think she realized that I was taking the quarter from her, but I didn't bother to explain it. Also, it would make that Josh kid would back off a bit.

Dee-Dee's eyes went wide as a does as she looked from Cammie to me and our intertwined hands. "Oh," she said, beaming at the two of us. "That's really great!"

I don't think that she was talking about the exchange at all.

Oh well, who cares what they think? They are nobodies, and we probably will never see them again. Who are if they think that Cammie and I are going out?

But I have to admit, I liked the feel of her hand in mine, even if her fingers felt like ice cubes.

Cammie turned, appraising me. She raised an eyebrow and turned her head to the side, her mouth slightly smiling. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she blushed slightly.

"Cam," I said. I hadn't really called her anything other than Gallagher Girl, but it felt like the right thing to say.

"The van's leaving in ten." I turned to Josh and Dee-Dee. "Nice to meet you two." I said, nodding at each of them. And with that, I turned back down the street, towards the square, taking the quarter with me.

I didn't dare to look back at Cammie, and I arrived back in the square, passing off the quarter to Grant, who was flirting with Bex at a corner. I didn't stop to talk; they looked a bit…busy.

I sat at a bench watching Dr. Steve order a pretzel from a shop and get in an argument about the mustard. I must say, my lip reading was really getting better. I watched the red van wind through the streets, and saw a few joggers, including a weird dude in a shimmery gold jogging suit and matching sweat band.

We would be picked up by the van in a minute, and I couldn't wait to get back to the mansion.

This morning had been freaky. I had thought about knocking out a civilian, saw Grant eat a donut that had been left on a bench, and saved Cammie from talking to her ex –who definitely was _not _over her- and his sickening new girlfriend. _And_ I have P&E next, in which Bex is going to kick my ass for whatever it was that I had said wrong to Cammie.

Yea, this day is off to a _great _start.

**Alright, how was it? Please review and bake a pie. The world could use more of both.**

**Ciao! **


	14. P&E Class

**Well, here I am again! I am so sorry for not updating, but life gets in the way of things, you know? I promise to never neglect my story like this again, EVER! Here you go!**

I must say, getting interrogated by several of my mom's _lovely_ employees was nothing compared to that afternoon's P&E class. We just finished up, and the boys and I are slowly limping to the locker room. Grant has a huge grin on his face despite the fact that he had previously been in a Baxter chokehold for at least 4 minutes before Bex let him go. I think that the 20 minutes of wrestling with his "British Bombshell" overshadowed the fact that he blacked out after the second minute of the chokehold.

Liz and Jonas had been practicing shooting a harpoon instead of sparring like the rest of the class. Jonas had been watching Grant and Bex for a second when Liz swung around with the harpoon in hand, giving him two black eyes and a slight concussion. He was given some pills from Dr. Fibs to help with the concussion, and got to sit out the rest of class. I must say I envy him, because after we returned to mats, I was paired up with Cam as a sparring partner.

I had seen her and Bex sparring earlier, and had been impressed at her form and speed, both of which are very important for the style of fighting that they were practicing. But then their faces caught my eye.

Cam had a look of pure fury in her eyes as she swiftly put Bex in an arm lock, and proceeded to punch Bex as hard as she could. The instructor walked by, calling over the din that Cam would get extra credit for her punching. Cam's smile turned to a grimace as Bex punched her back, as hard as _she_ could. Bex looked apologetic, and they stopped, both wincing in pain.

Bex patted Cam on the back sympathetically as they took their stances, apparently switching over to judo instead of the brutal Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

I noticed a difference in the Gallagher fighting style and Blackthorne's- the girls were fluid, using loop holes and flexibility to defeat their opponent and utilizing many maneuvers and flips that a full sized man could never pull off.

It was then that I had my epiphany. I really got what Gallagher was all about. Girls were stronger than they looked, and generally seen as innocent. They can get anywhere, fit through the smallest places, and lie without anyone suspecting them. Gilligan Gallagher understood this, and wanted to teach these skills to girls, making them the best operatives in the field. And they were now the best kept secret in the CIA, and it's most powerful weapon.

But they were still carefully protected princesses who lived in a castle, and that made them unfit for the harsh life of a spy. We, Blackthorne, were prepared.

Well, that was profound. Okay, so back to P&E. After Jonas was taken care of we switched partners, and I was matched with Cammie.

She sighed, stepping onto my mat, getting into a kickboxing stance. When I just stood there, she raised her eyebrows. "Something wrong with kickboxing, Goode?"

I smirked and shook my head, settling down into my stance. "Perfectly fine." Oh, I was going to _kill_ her in this. And I would enjoy it.

She moved first, quicker than I had expected, and I suddenly found myself on the defensive, dodging and trying to find a hole in her defense. Nothing. When I finally started to get some hits in, I fell back to my instincts and routine. The fight had warped from kickboxing to MMA fighting, each of us using everything we knew. We were evenly matched, her quickness pretty much compromised by my strength.

I looked up for a second as I finally put her in a lock, trying to keep her from twisting free. I was greeted by the sight of the entire class surrounding the mat, cheering for Cam, _including Grant and Jonas_. They were dead men.

The instructor had a bemused expression on her face as she watched. She called to me over the din. "Pay attention Mr. Goode! She just got out."

I turned back to the fight to be greeted with a punch to the face. Cam danced out of my range, smirking. Then she set her feet, and just as I had tucked down to charge her, sprinted forwards and jumped on my back, using it like a spring board to launch herself into the air.

I looked up, trying to roll out of the way for when she came down. But I was too late. Cammie came back down, arm out, catching me by my neck and throwing me to the ground. She climbed on top of me and pinned me, sitting on my stomach. The fight was over, and I had lost. My classmates cheered, and I sent a scowl in their direction.

Cammie hadn't gotten up yet, glaring at me, her hair framing her face, curling at the tips. It was already hard enough to breath, and she just kept on looking at me, making me hot in the cheeks. I tried to control my face, and raised my eyebrows at her. She blushed and climbed off, like she had just remembered that she was sitting on me. She whipped around, her hair snapping Grant in the face as he walked over to me, a sly grin on his face.

"Don't get carried away in the heat of the battle Goode," he said, clapping me on the shoulder." I turned to him, skeptical.

"Carried away with _what_?"

"Come on, I know you like girls who kick ass, and Cam just whipped yours." Said Grant, grinning.

Jonas appeared on my other side, holding a bag of ice to his head. "No, I don't think Zach is _that_ dumb. You guys know that she was furious because of her ex's new girlfriend, and she nearly beat up her best friend a couple of minutes ago. I think her beating Zach up was just getting that out," rationalized Jonas, pausing to wipe his forehead "and Grant, you were unconscious 15 minutes ago, don't you think that you need to lie down or something?" he asked, watching as Grant swayed in place.

I nodded, agreeing with Jonas on both accounts. She probably hates me even more after I pulled that stunt in town, pretending that I was her boyfriend in front of her ex. Yea, I deserved that, and when I was thinking about how good she looked, well, I had just been punched in the throat, I must have been delirious! Yep, that was it. And anyway, sweaty hair isn't that attractive now that I think about it. Anyway, we headed to the showers to clean up before COW, and I let all my troubles drain away.

**Later, before dinner, in our dorms**

As we got ready for dinner, Grant disappeared for a couple minutes, returning later with a black case, triumphant. It turned out that it was full of some girl's make up, and Jonas and I were seriously questioning our friend's sanity until he had fished out a tiny pot of bruise cream and cover-up.

After I had covered up the bruise blooming on my jaw, I helped Jonas with his two black eyes, which were much harder. When we were finished, we actually looked okay, and we make our way down to the Grand hall, ending up a bit behind Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey.

I motioned for the guys to be quiet as we eased closer, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"-hate her," Bex was saying as we entered hearing range of the little group.

"No, guys, we don't _hate_ Dee Dee," Said Cammie forcefully.

"Of course you can't hate her- that would be petty," said Liz, nodding primly to herself. "But we can totally hate her."

_So can I- wearing that much pink should be against the Geneva Convention. _I thought to myself, smirking slightly. Cammie considered what Liz had said, frowning, as if she knew that Liz was right, but was not liking it.

They were halfway down the staircase when Macey turned to Cammie, and said, "We could hack into the DMV and set her up with a dozen unpaid parking tickets."

"Macey!"

"It might make you feel better," she proposed, "It would make me feel better"

Grant snorted at this, and I swear I saw Bex glance back at us and wink, but when I looked again, she was facing the girls again as they slowly progressed down the stairs. She said the next words slightly louder, making sure that we could hear.

"You could go to that party and show him what he's missing."

I tensed, waiting for Cam's answer. It rankled with me that she cared about this guy, he sounded like an awful guy who decided that he didn't care about Cam, got a girlfriend, and then went all gaga for Cam the next time he saw her. This guy needed to figure out what he wanted, and then _stay away from Cam_.

Cammie seemed to consider the question, slowly shook her head and opened her mouth to answer, but paused, eyebrows pinched. "Wait," she said. "How did you know about the party?"

Bex lowered her voice and spoke softly to her friend. "Cam… you were on comms."

Cammie jerked to a stop, eyes wide. Her mouth hung open, pure terror in her eyes. Her friends gently tried to guide her to the Grand hall, but Cam was having none of it. She was stock-still, and it took all three of her friends to drag her to her seat in the Grand hall.

Grant Jonas and I slipped in after them, and took our seats at the back of the room. I kept an eye on Cammie. She was barely eating, and her classmates were sending worried glances at her. She barely stayed through desert before slipping out of the doors, unnoticed by anyone except Solomon and myself. I nodded at him before following her out the door and into the hallway out side.

Cammie took a couple sharp turns into the oldest part of the castle, where few classes were taught. There were rumors that the ghost of Ioseph Caven walked these hallways, but that was just some random rumor that I heard a few Seniors telling a pair of scared seventh graders.

Cam stopped front of a tapestry depicting the Gallagher family tree, considering it. Her fingers slowly hooked behind the frame, and she jumped as I made my grand entrance.

**Okay, how was that? Have I lost my touch? If I have, please tell me what I'm missing! I will update within the next 3 days.**

**Ciao!**


	15. Dancing Shoes

**The newest chapter, here you go. Enjoy!**

I remained almost halfway down the musty hallway, but I could see Cammie perfectly, even though the only light was a single ray of moonlight through one of the tall windows. Her fingers were hooked behind the painting, and she jumped as I called out to her.

"You know, I don't think I ever got the rest of my tour."

Cammie turned; her eyes wide like a deer in headlights. Her mouth hung slightly open as she stared openly down the hallway at me. Cam's hand whipped away from the tapestry, and her mouth snapped shut. I could see suspicion slip across her features, tracking me as I sauntered down the hallway.

"So, what do you say, _Gallagher Girl_?" I peeked behind the tapestry and was unsurprisingly greeted by the cool air and blackness of a secret passageway. "Is this when I get my Cammie Morgan no-passage-way-too-secret, no-wall-too-high tour?" I sent a mocking smirk her way and replaced the tapestry, taking a step back from Cam.

"How did you know about…?"

I pointed at myself with a cocky smirk and said, "Spy." I've got to say, that one little word incurs the most interesting reactions in Cameron Morgan. This time I got frustration and annoyance, along with the sneaking suspicion that she wanted to hit me.

I leaned against the wall, facing Cam, who was suddenly very fidgety, and was looking up the hallway. I guess she just realized that her friends weren't here to save her from having a conversation with me. I cocked my head at her, and her eyes returned to me.

"So, that was Jimmy?" I said, not really caring that I got his name wrong. He was an idiot anyway.

"Josh," she corrected, giving me a glare. But I saw the edge of her mouth twitch, as if she were keeping back a smile… or a grimace.

"Whatever," I said, waving away my intentional mistake. "He's a cutie." Yup, it was definitely a grimace. Oh well, details.

She rolled her eyes at me, looked at the floor for a second, and returned her gaze to mine. "What do you want, Zach?" she said, tiredly. "If you came to make fun, go ahead," She held her hands away from her body. "Mock away."

Well, she had my number there. I looked at her, fighting a smile. This girl was really something, and I had to respect her for that. It took guts to face me and my mockery, which, according to Grant, can make a grown man cry. But looking at her face made me realize that there was nothing that I could say that could take her lower than she already was.

"Gee, you know, I would… but you just took the fun out of it." I said, dropping the smile.

"Sorry." She said curtly, and took a quick step to the side of me, trying to go back down the hall, but I stepped in front of her, suddenly very close to her. We were only a few inches away from each other, and Cammie had to crane her neck to see my face.

"Hey," I whispered, watching her face. "Why'd you freeze out there today?" She looked at me with a weary face, her eyes capturing mine. At that moment, I didn't feel like the guy who had sat on those gazebo steps this morning, or the one who had been annoying Cam all week. Or anything I had been before coming to Gallagher.

I felt like the guy who had seen her face as she realized who I was in D.C, and had helped her when she had frozen in front of the boy that had broken her heart. I was the guy who had seen her when her emotions slipped past her defenses, and showed for the whole world to see. And who cared about what she felt.

Quite frankly, that was what scared me the most. _I cared_.

Cammie gulped, and said "I'm fine. I'm over it." We both knew what she was talking about. And we both knew that she was lying.

"No, you aren't, Gallagher Girl," I whispered with conviction. "But you will be." and with that I turned, and disappeared down the hallway.

**Sunday morning, in the Boy's Dorms **

On the weekends at Gallagher we were excused from classes, which was a pleasant surprise. At Blackthorne we attended classes right through the weekend, making it hard to remember what day of the week it was.

But at Gallagher students could be found outside near the lake, playing capture the flag in the woods, catching up on homework, in the P&E Barn for a wrestling tournament, or in Dr. Fib's labs, like Jonas and Liz.

Grant and I were in our room, getting some supplies for Grant's P&E project on chokeholds. Bex had promised to help Grant on his, seeing as she _had_ knocked him unconscious with one just a couple days ago. Grant had a goofy grin on his face as he collected his stuff. I couldn't help but smile.

_I'm going to have to sit through another grueling dissection of every single word she said during their little "study date",_ I thought. These sessions were long and tedious, with Grant frequently freaking out over what something Bex had said could mean. Jonas was no help either, what with his quiet questions about what Liz could have meant when she said "Hand me the test tube before the solution explodes."

There were way too many mushy feelings between the two of them for one person to bear alone. And so I have planned to avoid both of them for the next twenty-four hours until it was safe.

Every time I heard them start on about their objects of affection, my mind uncontrollably flashed to Cam, and how pretty she looked after she had beat the shit out of me in P&E. So, to avoid those disturbing thoughts, I will be spending my day off searching for new passageways and training with Joe in the P&E barn after dinner.

"Well, I'm off to the library to meet Bex. See you around, Zach! Don't drown in the moat!" said Grant cheerfully as he skipped out the door. Yeah, that was _really_ manly of him.

And if you didn't catch the sarcasm of that statement, then you need to get your head checked, pronto.

I shook my head at his retreating form, and walked over to the wall, pushing a protruding stone back into its place in the wall. The "wall" swung open, and the cool blackness of the passageway greeted me. I smiled and entered, closing the entrance behind me with a click.

**That night, during Dinner**

The walk to the P&E barn was cold and windy, with a full moon illuminating the worn path that lead to the entrance. I walked quickly, hoping to get inside before I lost the feeling in my toes or was seen. Everyone one else was at dinner, but I could see a light in the Headmistress's office, with figures moving inside. I wasn't keen on getting caught, but I guess I did have permission from a teacher, seeing as I was meeting Solomon.

I reached the doors, gratefully stepping into the warm barn. I walked towards the center of the room, suspicious. Where was Solomon? I did a slow 360, searching for him. I saw a shadow from behind me and spun, ducking as I did so. I was greeted with the sight of a bemused Mr. Solomon, smiling despite the throwing axe he held in one hand, and the short sword gripped in the other.

"Hello to you too, Joe. Tell me, do you usually attack unaware students, or is this a new thing?"

Joe laughed and put away his weapons, saying "Only when they deserve it." He patted me on the back. "So, Zach, what are we practicing today? Kickboxing, Wrestling, knife fighting…" he smirked. "Or perhaps MMA fighting? I hear that you need a refresher course."

I swung at him but he danced out of my reach. I followed him, and soon we were fighting. Near the end of our practice we returned to our conversation.

"So how did she get you?" asked Joe as he threw me to the ground with a well executed Batwinsky Maneuver.

"Jumped in the air… caught me in the throat… sat on me…" I gasped out, trying to break his hold. He let me up with a kind smile.

"Yeah, I know that one. It's a signature Gallagher move, and usually only they are able to pull it off," He led me over to the bench and handed me a water bottle. "You're lucky you weren't fighting two of the girls. If they can fight two on one, one throws the other in the air and tackles their opponent, holding them in a half-nelson and flipping them over just before the other person lands. You would be lucky to survive without breaking half the bones in your body."

I glanced at him. "Sounds like the voice of experience." He nodded, taking a sip. "Anyone I know?" I asked.

"Yup," he said, "Rachel and Abby Morgan- Cammie's Mom and Aunt. They are both positively terrifying when mad. When we were all out of school, they decided that I needed to be brought down a peg or two, and ambushed me." He paused, rubbing his shoulder. "I only broke a couple bones, thankfully."

I grimaced, patting his shoulder sympathetically. I stood up, stretching. "I'm going to get to bed, Joe. Anything else I should know?" I had reached the doors when Joe's voice piped up again.

"Yes, actually. Here, catch!" Joe threw me a … pair of shoes. "They're dancing shoes. You might need them… soon." He grinned and pushed past me, making his way across the lawn to the mansion.

I stood there, watching him disappear. What the hell would I need _dancing shoes_ for? 

**Okay, how was it? I meant to make the Chapter longer, but I don't have the energy. Sorry. Thanks for all of the great reviews, I'm happy to hear that my writing is still okay! **

**Ciao!**


	16. Before the Ball

**Yes, I am still alive, and no, I have not been in a comma for five months. Sorry 'bout the lack of updating, but life gets in the way sometimes. Here you go!**

Joe Solomon has always been mysterious, as is everything he does. Over time, you sort of get used to not knowing all the secrets, but that doesn't make that feeling in your stomach go away. You know, the one you get when there is something you need to know, but for whatever reason, you don't. It makes you jumpy and suspicious of everyone and anything that moves. This would be the reason I didn't eat breakfast this morning… constant vigilance, as they say.

Any way, the dancing shoes given to me by Solomon were certainly irking me. It seems like there is something in the works here… involving dancing. Unless you haven't heard, Blackthorne boys don't dance. There is nothing that Mrs. Dabney can do about that. If it is vital to our survival- yes, we will dance. Not well, but we will try. So, as you can see, this mysterious gift from our most mysterious teacher was slightly worrying.

Possible scenarios floated around my head as I sat through COW. It was doubtable that we would be infiltrating a ball to protect the British Prime Minister from the Russian mafia, with Mr. Solomon as a teacher, you could never know.

The bell rung, interrupting Mr. Smith's interrogation of Tina Walters on the proper conduct in an Indonesian fishing village, and signaling the end of class. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Cammie jump, looking around suspiciously before grapping her books and heading for the door. I jogged to catch up with her, amused. Someone else must be having that jumpy- suspicious- stomach thingy... wow; I need to come up with a name for that. I'd be famous. Not that I'm not already, but for more honorable reasons.

I caught up Cammie about halfway down the hallway, smirking to myself. This girl was just too… interesting? No, not the right word at all. Her life seemed so intricate, and for some reason I can't separate myself from her. I mean, I'm getting obsessive about figuring her out- yesterday I spent lunch eavesdropping on her conversation with Bex about her mother's terrible cooking, sports bras, and whether Bex should be trying to kill Grant in P&E for his comment about her skirt. I seriously needed to separate myself from her. A Goode never gets attached- to any one, anything, or any place- I knew that well. Now I just needed to do it.

That was the hard part.

"What's the matter, Gallagher Girl?" I asked, falling into step beside her, taking a moment to notice that she didn't roll her eyes at me for once. "You seem… jumpy."

She didn't answer, but I wasn't looking for an explanation. In a spy's life there are many things that you hide, and if it's not your business, don't pry. It makes life much easier. We entered the C&A class room, plopping down on a pair of chairs at the back of the room. We sat in surprisingly comfortable silence, waiting for Madame Dabney to enter. Cammie looked out the window, sighing, completely missing the urgent glances from her friends, who had twisted around in their chairs to observe her, glancing quickly between Cam and myself.

I gave them a small wave, smirking. Bex sent me a rude hand gesture, unaware of Madame Dabney's entrance behind her until the woman's pocket-knife/decorative fan smacked her in the back of the head. With a chuckle, I turned my attention to our teacher, who was positively beaming at the class.

"The all-school exam…" said Madame Dabney dreamily. "Ooh, ladies," she said, rushing to add "and Gentlemen. In all my years of teaching…" All of the class was on the edge of their seats, waiting for her to get to the point. "…This Friday evening, all students in grades eight through twelve will be invited to a formal examination." She exclaimed, arms open, obviously expecting the class to burst into applause. She didn't seem to expect the majority of the class to have a look on their faces akin to "WTF?"

"A ball, ladies and gentlemen; there's going to be a ball!"

The girls squealed, gasping and giggling, shooting glances at Grant, Jonas, and myself, obviously not noting the looks of complete terror on our faces. Jonas had gone red, trying to hide his face in his collar. Grant went white, suddenly sweating, and inched away from Bex, whose hand was inching towards his knee. I let no emotion cross my features, clamping down on my facial muscles, no doubt making me look incredibly constipated, but still effective.

Cammie's eyes had gone wide with fear, unsurprisingly the only girl to not jump for joy. A pavement artist avoids standing out at all costs. But a combination of formal wear and ballroom dancing make that rather difficult.

I had zoned out, not wanting to hear the rest- ignorance is bliss, anyway. I was still clinging to the idea that I could avoid dancing when I heard the worst six words ever spoken at Gallagher Academy. "You will be expected to dance."

And thus, my fate was sealed. Solomon giving me those shoes… it all made sense now.

I'm gonna kill that bastard.

**Thursday, in Science Lab C, concocting metal-eating solutions that can pass for a Crayola Marker.**

"Darn it, Grant! Why would you do that? That was my favorite bracelet- why would you use it to test the _metal-eating_ bacteria?" Macy's screeches carried over the soft mumblings in the room, where my classmates tried to make a substance that dissolved metal using several varieties of Windex, a few of Fib's "special chemicals", and anything we could find in our school bags. So far there had been chemical solutions that turned hair green, bacterium that dissolved everything it touched except rubber, and an odd mixture that looked like tar and smelled like a pig that had been dead for weeks.

Jonas and Liz had been forbid to work together, as it only led them to try to demonstrate and- due to their combined clumsiness- it always ended with them setting _something_ on fire. 

This week so far had probably could have been my best week in all my time here. I had finally found out what was up with the dancing shoes, I pinned Cammie in P&E, and I had hundreds of girls fawning over me, trying to get me to save them a dance on Friday night. I had finally found a way out of the school, and the chef was trying out new recipes this week, and had asked me and Grant to help test them out. Sounds great right? Well, you are forgetting one very crucial detail: I still suck at dancing, and the ball is tomorrow night.

All of the Blackthorne guys had been freaking out, and there is really no help for us. Madame Dabney had already gone over ballroom dancing a couple weeks ago, so there was no hope of a refresher course to save our skins. Every night, after dinner, you could hear the sounds of feet tapping, as we tried to practice in the common room. Dr. Steve was absolutely no help, and it got awkward when Grant tried dipping his partner- a burly senior named Kevin.

I was in for an embarrassing evening, and there was no way to escape it. I did okay that first day, with Cammie in C&A, but she seemed to know what to do, and was graceful enough for it to look natural, and to avoid my feet.

I was suddenly hyperaware of her next to me, working on our concoction. That was another reason that this week was looking up- she had stopped avoiding me. She was talking more freely, and stopped being so suspicious of me, which was a relief. Now we were partners in this lab, and I wondered if I was the only one who noticed how often our hands brushed. I tried not to read too much into it, as she seemed not to register that anything was different. But I just couldn't keep the smile off my face.

We walked out of the door together when the bell rung, signaling the end of the last class of the day. We walked up the steps, and stepped out into the main hall, the sea of students making its way outside to the first decent day in months. Cammie sent me a parting smile before joining her friends. I leaned on the wall, watching her walk away. She looked back, finding me in the mass of students. Our eyes met for a millisecond, before Bex grabbed her and forced her through the front doors.

I eased off the wall, searching for my own friends. I found them in a huddle with the rest of the Blackthorne guys around Madame Dabney. As I approached, I caught the end of the discussion.

"-if you could, please?"

"We need help-"

"Desperately!"

"Alright! Enough, I understand the situation. I will give you gentlemen some additional lessons in preparation for the dance, if this situation is so dire, but you really should have learned it weeks ago. Do you gentlemen wish to keep our lessons secret, because there is a matter of dance partners…? I could round up some of the girls who are excellent at dancing to help with our lessons," said Madame Dabney.

"Sure, but please tell the girls that these lessons are confidential. It isn't something we want spread around."

"I'll do my best. But if one Gallagher Girl knows a secret, they all know it, so don't get your hopes up." With this grim remark, Madame Dabney walked away, leaving us with the thought that we were still in for humiliation.

_Crap_.

**Thursday night, right after dinner**

**In the C&A classroom **

I couldn't believe I was actually going to do this- take private dancing lessons from a teacher who has randomly assigned our female peers to witness the catastrophe. But I was here, in a line against the wall, waiting for our partners to enter.

Madame Dabney twirled, turning on the music with one hand, and gesturing at the door with the other. "Come in, ladies!" In came fifteen senior girls, all seeming vaguely uninterested in the boys standing in front of them. We, on the other hand, were all drooling. You can't really blame us. They each stepped in front of one of the boys, holding out their hands. "Boys!" said Madame Dabney, gesturing for us to get up, and sending us a glare that clearly said _don't try any funny business_. We obediently stood up, and went to our places.

"Now, there will be _no talking to your partner_- not even to give directions, girls- as we must respect their request for this to be confidential. I will instruct you on what to do."

We all nodded, and placed our hands in the proper position- the one thing that we had all learned. The music began, and we moved- slowly- through the steps, with Madame Dabney correcting us and reminding us of the steps. After forty-five minutes, we changed from the waltz to the fox trot, and forty-five minutes after that we went to the tango. The music faded, and we stepped away from the girls.

Silently, the girls left, leaving us alone with Madame Dabney, who was smiling softly at us. "Boys, I must say, you have all dramatically improved since you first started, and I believe that you gentlemen will have ladies jumping at the chance to dance with you. Good job."

We all thanked her and dispersed, making our ways back to our dorm. The rest of the guys went up the stairs, took a right, and went through the halls to make it to their rooms. I, however, despised this mundane route, and slipped into the closest passageway, welcoming the cool darkness. I turned, looking forwards to my nice soft bed, only to find that I wasn't alone. No, not quite. Not by a long shot.

I froze in fear as I looked into those eyes… my eyes, glowing green in the inky black of the passage.

"_Mother_."

**Please let me know if this stinks- I wrote half of it four months ago, and it has a lot of material not in the original book. Let me know if you are angry about this- I thought that it would be a nice change of pace, but hey, I can revise. **

**Ciao!**


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